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BY THE SAME AUTHOR 


THE RuLes OF THE GAME 
‘Tue Ruies oF THE-GAME—TEACHER’S MANUAL 


us The 
Unguarded Gate 


A SERIES OF SERMONS FOR CHILDREN, 
LEADING TO DECISION DAY AND 
COVERING THE SCHOOL YEAR 


Aine 


FLOYD W. LAMBERTSON 


THE ABINGDON PRESS 
NEW YORK CINCINNATI 





Copyright, 1926, by 
FLOYD W. LAMBERTSON 


All rights reserved, including that of translation into foreign languages, 
including the Scandinavian 


Printed in the United States of America 


TABLE OF CONTENTS 


PAGE 
EAC Cr a ec raay de Diy ier A TY LL aU Ranh Sammy te 8 
SEPTEMBER. Our Hasits Forming CHARACTER. 
Pe Oe CO MRUATCed Gate. (is hye cue Wolke 15 
2. The Weavers........... BEDE VA ARS BIBI | bance IY 19 
Bik eM as OF PERIL fyi) ies ks he Gian 23 
4. The Lesson From the Chalk................ 27 
5. The Message of the Camera.........:...... 31 
Ocroprer. CHaracTeR MEETING THE TEST. 
Sie ne-bime of Lesting 0) 3) 0 Cae ag 39 
paving tne Game! square eo) Pe ea ee 43 
8. How Daniel Met the Test—A Pantomime.... 46 
‘9 The Danger of Little Things................ 52 
10; \beedtime and Harvest) 033/06 eee 8 55 
Novewser. Bumping Herrrunness Into Cuwar- 
ACTER. 
11. The Message of the Great Stone Face...... Megat 
12. The Good Samaritan—A Pantomime........ 67 
13. A Challenge to Helpfulness................. 72 
14. The Message of Sir Launfal................ 75 
DrecemBer. THe CominGc or THE GREAT HELPER 
OSE WATE ES OE oR 1 ee OR 83 
16. In the Land of Eternal Snows.............. 87 
17. A Light in the Land of Darkness............ 91 
18. The Other Wise Man—A Pantomime........ 95 
JaNuARY. New YEAR RESOLUTIONS. 
19. The Lesson from the Mighty Oak........... 101 
20. The Unnoticed Heroes of Life.............. 104 
21. Finding the Four-Leaf Clover.............. 108 
Pe VOTE LIUTY SU Sco late cialectal's in'ete ally 112 


23. Looking Through Blue Glasses.............. 116 


TABLE OF CONTENTS 


Frepsruary. JrEsus, Our [peat Hero. 


94, Lincoln, the Beloved...................... 123 
25. Jesus Does His Good Turn................. 126 © 
26. The Friend of Children... .000..0...0.4.. 130 
97, Partners: in) Helpfulness 20 00s 2 ea 134 
Marcu. Maxine THE Great DEcIsION. 
28. Worms for Lark Feathers.................. 141 
29. ‘Born to) Be Kings) ew ei ee cocina 144 
30. Making the Great Decision................. 148 
31. Followers of the Risen King................ 151 
Aprit. Livine THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 
32. Loyal Followers of Christ. ...............4- 157 
33. Friendship ‘With God) io). i ie eee 160 
$4. (Sharing) With Christcgik tn Gyan eo a gees 163 
35. .In the Temple of'God. 00). 6.4). es 167 
36.4) Lamp, to Our "Heer ites ainsi, sonate leur ne 170 
May. Livine THE CuristiAN Lire (Continued). 
387. The Man Who Followed Afar Off........... 177 
38. Jesus Speaks to a Disheartened Soldier...... 180 
39. Christian Overcomes Giant Despair......... 183 
40. The Candle Under the Bushel.............. 187 


PREFACE 


Ons of the first duties of every pastor is to 
gain the allegiance of his young people to 
Jesus Christ. Particularly should this be 
stressed during the eleventh and twelfth years. 
Statistics show that with the exception of the 
sixteenth year more children make a dedica- 
tion of their lives to Christ at this period than 
at any other time. Since this is true, the pas- 
tor should do his utmost to have them make a 
definite commitment of their lives to Christ 
while they are most impressionable. 

More than that, there are always a con- 
siderable number of children in every congre- 
gation. Since they are there, it is only fair 
that some attention be paid to them. A chil- 
dren’s sermon at the beginning of the church 
hour will make them feel that they are not 
forgotten. 


PuRPOSE OF THE Book 


This book aims to present a series of chil- 
dren’s sermons beginning with the school year 
in the fall, and closing with the end of the 
school year in June. It is aimed directly at 


the eleventh and twelfth years. Each lesson is 
q 


PREFACE 


looking toward Decision Day at Easter time. 
There is a particular purpose for the individual 
lesson. There is also a monthly goal. Then 
there is the continued stress on making a de- 
cision until Easter time, after which the les- 
sons deal with problems of the young Chris- 
tian. 


PsycHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE AGE 
GROUP 


The most successful salesman adapts his 
method to the needs and interests of his pro- 
spective customer. The most successful pastor 
will do the same. The more he knows of the 
spontaneous interests and the motives govern- 
ing the life of the children, the better will he be 
able to gain and hold their attention. In 
order that we may have the mental charac- 
teristics of this age group clearly in mind, 
let us review the most outstanding ones. 

The eleven-year period is one of habit forma- 
tion. At this time habits are becoming more 
or less fixed for life. The permanent trend of 
the individual is being fashioned. If right 
habits are encouraged, they will become the 
background of character for adult life. If 
wrong habits are made, the child will be 
handicapped through all his days. One of the 
gravest misfortunes is that a child should start 

8 


PREFACE 


life with a bundle of wrong habits. The first 
stress In these sermons is on habit formation. 

Hero worshtp is a further characteristic of 
this age. The child now is beginning to take 
the heroic qualities of many lives and fuse 
them into an ideal hero. Such a hero deter- 
mines his moral code. The sermons aim to 
present the heroic qualities of the great men 
of the past and inspire the child to follow 
them. 

The desire to serve is another outstanding 
motive force. The child is growing less self- 
centered and wishes to help others. Altruism 
is having its birth. Self-sacrifice for others or 
for a cause is more pronounced. The Scout’s 
“good turn daily” is an attempt on the part 
of the founders of Scout Craft to capitalize on 
this growing tendency. The pastor can use the 
same tendency, making the child feel that his 
service is service for Christ. 

Loyalty is another strong motive force. This 
is one of the fundamental virtues of the age 
group. As the child becomes a member of a 
social group or organization, he begins to show 
this feeling of loyalty to the group. The value 
of such loyalty cannot be overestimated. For 
our effort and activity in life inevitably follow 
the line of our loyalties. Loyalty to Christ, 
to one’s ideals, and to the church can be de- 


9 
r 


PREFACE 


veloped during these early days so that it will 
motivate all the rest of life. , 
Finally, the child longs for group approval. 
Just as do adults, he wishes to feel that his 
companions think well of him. He fears ridi- 
cule. Thus group approval can be made to 
serve the cause of good as well as of evil. 
These five mental characteristics—habit for- 
mation, hero worship, helpfulness, loyalty and 
group approval—are the ones which have been 
particularly stressed in the following sermons. 


MoraL PROBLEMS OF THE AGE GROUP 


Not only should the pastor and _ teacher 
know the native interests and motive forces, 
but he should consider the moral problems 
which the child of this age has to meet. Chief 
among these are lying, cheating, stealing, prob- 
lems of temper, fear of social disapproval, 
swearing, and the like. In order to serve the 
child most we must adapt our sermon material 
to reenforce him in the ways of right living. 


PREPARING THE INDIVIDUAL SERMON 


These sermons are at best only suggestive. 
They aim to present an approach. The indi- 
vidual pastor or teacher must work them over 
into the mold of his own thinking. Some of 
them may be read to advantage. Others 

10 


PREFACE 


should be told in the form of stories. No 
matter what may be the form of presentation, 
the sermon should be thoroughly assimilated. 
If to be told, it should be outlined. Then the 
speaker can follow the outline and speak 
extemporaneously. 


Usinc THE ILLUSTRATED SERMONS 


Several sermons suggest illustrative mate- 
rials. There are two reasons for using them. 
In the first place they gain and hold atten- 
tion. In the second place they help to re- 
enforce the purpose of the sermon. ‘The author 
has usually placed the materials on a table 
near the pulpit and in plain sight of the audi- 
ence. Curiosity has become a sufficient motive 
force to gain attention. He has also found it 
desirable to have everything ready in advance 
and go through the sermon to see that it goes 
smoothly. Any slip in the procedure may spoil 
what would otherwise be a good sermon. As 
soon as the materials have told their story, 
they are pushed into the background. They 
should not remain the focus of attention. 


Maxine AN APPEAL 


At the close of some sermons an appeal is 
suggested. With the stories an appeal should 
not be necessary. The story should make its 

il 


PREFACE 


own appeal. If a formal appeal is to be used, 
it should be brief and right to the pomt. Chil- 
dren dislike bemg “preached at.” Let the 
closing words leave exactly the lesson which 
you want to remain. 

The author has used these children’s sermons 
during the past five years. Some of them have 
been used many times. In all cases they have 
been found interesting to both young and old. 
Likewise they have served their purpose of 
bringing the children to a decision of their life 
to Christ. This is the primary purpose of the 
series. He hopes they may prove helpful to 
other pastors also. 

F. W. L. 

Mitchell, South Dakota, October 7, 1925. 


12 


SEPTEMBER 
OUR HABITS FORMING CHARACTER 





THE UNGUARDED GATE 


Purpose: To show the importance of impressions upon 
the mind. 

Oxssect Materiats: A box with sod, background, twigs 
for trees, castle wall of cardboard with gate in the 
center, cardboard box for buildings and inner keep. 








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ScriptuRE: Keep on watch then, for you never know 
what day your Lord will come. But be sure of this, 
that if the householder had known at what watch in 
the night the thief was coming, he would have been on 
the watch, he would not have allowed his house to be 
broken mto. So be ready yourselves.—Maitt. 24. 42-44, 

Lesson STORY 

(Note: The box with the sod and back- 
ground and trees are already placed. The wall 
and buildings are to be put in as the story 
progresses. ) 

Lone years ago there lived in a far country a 
great and wonderful prince. He had no castle 

15 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


in which to dwell, so he told his workmen to 
go and build a mighty palace that would keep 
out any enemy. So they went out and began 
building the walls (here place in walls); then 
they built the living quarters and the dungeon 
or inner keep (here put in the inner keep). 
Outside the wall they made a deep ditch or 
moat. Five gateways led from the castle to 
all parts of the realm, and along these came 
messengers who would tell the prince how his 
kingdom was progressing. The gates of the 
castle were made of massive oak, and the 
chains which held them could be quickly 
drawn so as to shut out an enemy. 

The prince had not lived long in his new 
home when an invading army laid siege to his 
castle. He felt no fear, for the walls were 
strong and the gates well guarded. But one 
night he neglected to station a guard at one 
gate. The enemy found the unguarded gate. 
They let down the drawbridge and swarmed 
into the courtyard. In a short time the prince 
found himself a captive in his own palace. He 
had been overpowered because of the un- 
guarded gate. 


We Represent the Prince and Castle 
Children, I want you to think of these 


bodies of ours as a castle. You remember 
16 


OUR HABITS FORMING CHARACTER 


that the Bible speaks of the body as a temple 
in which dwells the soul. The real you and 
the real me is not the body. You have heard 
of people who have lost an arm or a limb and 
still the real self goes on without them. The 
body serves as a shelter or a protection for the 
mind or soul. We might rightly think, then, 
of the soul as the prince who dwells within 
his castle, the body. 


There Are Five Gateways to the Soul 

There are also five gateways into this castle, 
our bodies: through sight, sound, taste, smell, 
and touch we learn of the great world about 
us. Messengers come through these gateways 
to inform the soul of the things happening 
outside. But not all the messengers who 
would enter are our friends; some are our 
worst enemies. I wish we might realize the 
danger of these enemies who would come through 
the unguarded gate and make captive the 
prince who dwells within. 


Application 
Suppose we think first of the gateway of 
the ear. Many helpful messengers come 
through this gateway during the day. We 
hear the song of the birds, the glad shouts of 
our companions, the kindly voice of mother. 
POEM 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


But suppose we stop to listen to an evil story. 
Beware. We are leaving an unguarded gate. 
We may say that it is a harmless joke and we 
will soon forget it. But the enemy has gone 
through the unguarded gate and will surely 
do us harm. We are less noble than before. 
We remember the story; we think it over, and 
some day we find ourselves doing that which 
was first only a thought. The prince has been 
taken captive. 

Or let us think of the gateway of the eye. 
We see the beautiful sights of nature—the 
sunset glow, the glory of the mountains, the 
fruitful harvest of the plains. These are help- 
ful messengers who enrich life. But suppose 
we look at a foul picture or read an evil book. 
We say no harm has been done and soon we 
will forget. But these impressions have been 
stored up in memory and we do not forget. 
In fact, we never forget. The unguarded gate 
has been entered by our enemy and he is there 
to stay. We have become less noble and 
kingly than before. 


Appeal 
Boys and girls, I want you to guard the 
gateways of the soul. Station a guard there 
to keep out every impure and ignoble thing. 
Paul said, “Whatsoever things are true, what- 
18 


OUR HABITS FORMING CHARACTER 


soever things are honest, whatsoever things are 
just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever 
things are lovely, . . . think on these things.” 
He was insisting that only the worth-while 
things should enter life. Let us watch lest 
the enemy enter and take captive the prince 
who dwells within. 


THE WEAVERS 


Purrose: To show that character is the result of daily 
deeds. 

‘Opsect Marerrats: A wooden frame with tacks and 

string; a shuttle and three feet of yarn; paper, cloth, 

wire, and shavings. A Navajo rug or the picture of 


one. 





Scripture: Whoever he is, let him be careful how he 
builds. The foundation is laid, namely Jesus Christ, 
and no one can lay any other. On that foundation 
anyone may build gold, silver, precious stones, wood, 
hay, or straw, but in every case the nature of his 
work will come out; ... 

19 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


If the structure raised by any man survives, 
he will be rewarded; 
If a man’s work is burnt up, 
he will be a loser.—1 Cor. 3. 10-13; 14, 15. 
A man will reap just what he sows.—Gal. 6, 7. 


Lesson STORY 
(Note: Have materials all ready on the 
table beside you.) 


Down in the southern part of our country, 
in the States of Arizona and New Mexico, live 
the tribe of Indians called Navajos. They are 
a prosperous people and spend their time in 
herding sheep and growing crops. The wool 
which is grown is later woven into beautiful 
blankets and rugs. Here is a rug (picture of a 
rug) woven by one of the women of the tribe. 
See how carefully the work is done. These are 
valuable because of the painstaking labor 
which has gone into the making of them. 

Let us take a trip to their reservation and 
watch the weaver at her work. Before her is 
the loom with its many strings running from 
top to bottom. She sits before the loom and 
patiently pushes the shuttle back and forth. 
Then with a paddle she pats the thread down so 
that it will be closely woven. After many days 
it will be completed and she will sell it to us. 

To-day I have here a small loom and will 


try to weave a rug. The warp is already 
20 


OUR HABITS FORMING CHARACTER 


strung and here is the shuttle and thread. I 
- weave it back and forth (doing it while talk- 
ing) and then pat it down. This looks as if 
it were going to make a fine rug. Only it goes 
so slowly. I think I will make it go faster. 
We cannot take the time needed by weaving 
this thread. Let’s put in this piece of cloth; 
that will help to fill up. Now I go on with 
the thread. Here is a piece of paper that will 
take a lot of room. Let’s put that in. Now I 
weave the thread again. Here is a piece of 
wire. It’s a little long, but I can bend the 
ends back. That can go in next. And here 
are some shavings; they will fit in here. Now 
we will weave a couple more rounds of thread 
and call it done. 

Here it is, children—a fine Navajo rug. 
How much will you give me for it? Not any- 
thing? Why, how is that? This is a good 
rug. It is made just like the Indians make 
theirs. You say I have put poor material 
into it? Does that make any difference? Ah 
yes, it does make a difference. That is the 
lesson I wanted to teach. The final value is 
determined by the kind of material we put 
into a thing. 


Application 
Children, we are all weavers, weavers of life. 
Q1 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


You and I are daily building character. Every 
thought we think, every act we do is becoming — 
a part of our life. We are the sum total of the 
thoughts and deeds of the past. Very largely 
our to-morrows will be controlled by the days 
that have gone by. For our deeds tend to 
form habits, and habits determine character. 


Weaving in Bad Material 

Here is a boy who wants to have a happy, 
helpful life. But notice the material he puts 
into each day’s work. He is selfish. He wants 
everyone to help him, while he seldom helps 
others. On the hike he waits until the rest 
have done the hard work. And he has an 
ugly temper. If parents and playmates do not 
do what he wants done, he becomes furious. 
Also he tries to get even with those who he 
thinks have harmed him. He likes good grades, 
but is too lazy to do the work, so he copies 
from someone else. Or perhaps it is a girl who 
has some of these traits. See the bad material 
they are weaving into life: selfishness and 
temper, revenge and cheating. What sort of 
characters will they have when they are 
through? We found that the final result was 
determined by the material which went into 
the loom. (Hold up loom.) 


22 


OUR HABITS FORMING CHARACTER 


Weaving in Good Material 

Here is another child who does his good turn 
many times a day. His teacher can depend on 
him to have his work done well. He can be 
trusted in all places. He is courteous and kind. 
He laughs at hard work and tackles it with 
a will. He is trying to weave into life only 
the things which will make for real manhood. 
I think you can see which life will be more 
valuable at the end. 


Appeal 

Our Scripture lesson said that we reap what 
we sow. What we weave into life forms our 
habits and character. It also said that life 
would be tested. If we weave in selfishness 
and revenge and deceit, it will not be able to 
stand the test. But if we build helpful deeds 
and kindly thoughts and conscientious work, 
we will be able to stand the test. Let us then 
weave into life only the worth-while things. 


THE CHAINS OF HABIT 


Purpose: To show how habits may grow from good 
thoughts and kindly deeds. 
Oxssect Matreriats: A spool of coarse thread. 
Scripture: Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of 
it are the issues of life-—Prov. 4. 28. 
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. 
—Matt. 5. 8. 
23 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


You have heard how the men of old were told, “Mur- 
der not.” But I tell you, whoever is angry with his 
brother [without cause] will be sentenced by God.— 
Matt. 5. 21, 23. 


LESSON STORY 


I want one of the boys to help me with this 
lesson. Will you come up here and put your 
hands together? Now, I am going to tie this 
thread around your hands and see if you can 
break it. Yes, it broke easily. Now I will wind 
it three times around your hands and let you 
break it. Again you broke it, but not so 
easily. Now I am going to wind it many 
times around your hand (work quickly and 
get enough strands that he can’t break it) 
and then see how much harder it is to break. 
Possibly it cannot be broken at all. 


Actions Repeated Become Habits 


Our lesson to-day has to do with habit. 
Habits might be spoken of as actions we have 
done so often that we do not have to think 
how we do them; they do themselves. The 
first time we do the act we must watch care- 
fully how it is done. After a few times it is 
much easier for us. Finally the habit is estab- 
lished, and it is hard not to do it that way. 
The girls here may have learned how to knit. 


They consciously watched each movement 
2A 


OUR HABITS FORMING CHARACTER 


when they were learning. Now they can knit 
and talk at the same time without giving a 
thought to the process of knitting. Our first 
principle is that actions repeated become 


habits. 


Thoughts Precede Conscious Acts 

But behind the act is the thought. We 
think of something, and then the thought 
becomes an act. I think that I would like 
some water, and my hands and feet go ahead 
and do what was at first a thought. We feel 
hungry, and soon we find ourselves eating an 
apple or a piece of cake. The thought was 
transformed into action. 


We Must Avoid Bad Thoughts 


Since thoughts tend to become acts, we must 
avoid bad thoughts. I want to tell you the 
story of a man who let an evil thought ruin 
his life. You all recall the story of King Saul 
and the boy David and the giant Goliath. 
After David had killed the giant, the army 
returned toward the city of Jerusalem and the 
people began to. praise David for his brave 
act. Saul had a thought of jealousy. It was 
nothing but a thought and the king quickly 
put it away. But that thought returned. He 


thought it again and again. Soon the thought 
25 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


of jealousy became one of hatred, and one day 
what was before only a thought became an act. 
The king picked up his javelin and hurled it 
at David as the young man sat at the table. 
David fled for his life. Then the thought and 
the act took entire possession of Saul’s life. 
Jealousy had turned to murder. He organized 
his soldiers and went out into the mountaims 
to find the young man who had done him no 
harm. If we follow the story of Saul’s hfe, 
we find that it became a complete failure be- 
cause he allowed evil thoughts to dwell in his 
mind. 

This is what Jesus meant in the Scripture 
lesson. He said that the people of old thought 
one had to commit murder before they had 
done wrong. Jesus taught that anyone who had 
a thought of anger toward another might find 
that thought passing over into action. He 
said in reality that we must beware what we 
think, for if the thought at last becomes habit, 
we are bound in chains that are hard to break. 


We Must Culiwwate Good Thoughts and Kindly 
Deeds 


But this law can become our friend as well 
as our enemy. Suppose we purpose to think 
only good thoughts and to do only worthy 
deeds. These likewise form habits, and we 

26 


OUR HABITS FORMING CHARACTER 


have safeguarded ourselves by the chains of 
worthy habits. If we read more about the life 
of David we will find that he had two chances 
to kill King Saul while he lay asleep. He 
refused, however, to allow this thought of 
murder to find a place in his mind. He insisted 
on living such a life as he could be proud of. 


Conclusion 

E wish that we might get some principles 
firmly fixed in mind as we leave this lesson. 
The first is that we must refrain from any act 
or any thought that we would not want to 
become a permanent habit of life. Further, 
let us decide to cultivate kindly thinking and 
helpful deeds. And, finally, let us realize that 
the chains of habit can bind us to the good 
until it will be difficult to do the wrong. We 
should realize that thoughts tend to become 
actions. Acts repeated form habits. Habits 
long continued determine character. The 
chains of habit, either good or bad, will ulti- 
mately master life. Jesus therefore gives the 
wise injunction when he says, “Blessed are the 
pure in heart”; their lives shall be pure. 


THE LESSON FROM THE CHALK 


Purrose: To show the value of having good companions. 
Ossect Marertats: One glass of pure water, a second of 
27 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


diluted ink, a third of strong vinegar, and a piece of 
carbon chalk. 

Scripture: Blessed is the man that walketh not in the 
counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sin- 
ners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.—Psa. 1. 1. 

He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a 
companion of fools shall be destroyed.—Prov. 13. 20. 


Lesson STORY 


I HAVE here to-day a piece of spotless chalk 
and three glasses of liquid. I am going to dip 
this chalk into each glass and see what happens. 
I dip it into the first glass, and it comes out as 
pure as when it went in. That is because the 
surroundings were pure. 

Now I put it mto the second glass. I take 
it out again and find that it is soiled and 
stained. Why? Because the surroundings 
were impure. They have left their mark upon 
the chalk. It can never be spotless and white 
again. No amount of washing will ever make 
it as it was before. The stain is there to stay. 

Now I put it into the third glass. I want you 
to watch carefully what is happening. Do you 
see the bubbles arising? That means that in 
this environment, in these surroundings, the 
chalk is actually being destroyed. Hf we left 
it there, the very heart of the chalk would be 
eaten out. The surroundings are having their 


effect. 
28 


OUR HABITS FORMING CHARACTER 


Our Surroundings Influence Our Lnves 

You and I are like the chalk. When we were 
born, our lives were pure and clean from the 
hands of our Creator. We wish to keep them 
that way. Like the good Scout, we take our 
oath to keep ourselves “physically strong, men- 
tally awake, and morally straight.” By so 
doing we would remain pure like the white 
chalk. But as we grow up we find some people 
who are not so much concerned in remaining 
pure like the true Scout. The lesson I wish to 
bring to-day is this: if we associate with that 
kind of people, our lives will be influenced by 
them. Our companions and associations will 
have their effect. 


How Our Companions May Influence Us 

The first law of the Scout is trustworthiness. 
He is honest and honorable in all his dealings. 
Now, suppose he gets out with a group of boys 
some evening. One of them says: “Fellows, I 
know where there is a watermelon patch. 
Come on; let’s get some.” The Scout knows 
that that is stealing. It is taking what does 
not belong to him.. And a good Scout will not 
steal. But it is very hard to say “no” when 
the rest of the group are planning to do wrong. 
Here we see the danger that comes from getting 


in with poor companions. Our lives are liable 
29 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


to become stained and spotted by the influence 
and example of those about us. | 
On the other hand, let us imagine that a 
group of Scouts go for a hike to the woods. 
They spend the day fishing and hunting and 
tracking. They have a good swim and prac- 
tice breaking the death grip. They roast the 
weenles ,over the fire and make their own bis- 
cuits. They play games around the campfire 
at night. They tell stories. They come home 
tired but happy. They have spent a day in 
good companionship, and none of them have 
been harmed. Like the chalk in pure water, 
they received no harm from their associations. 


How Our Best Pal Can Influence Us 


Every one of us has a best pal, and that per- 
son has a tremendous influence on our lives. 
Imagine that Bill Jones has said some mean, 
cutting things about you that are untrue. 
You are angry and would like to give him the 
trouncing which you think he deserves. You 
go to your best pal and tell him. He says: 
“That's right. I wouldn’t let that fellow say 
such a thing about me. Go ahead and beat 
him up.” The advice of a pal at such a time 
comes with a great deal of force and we are 
apt to follow it, forgetting that two wrongs 


never made a right. 
30 


OUR HABITS FORMING CHARACTER 


But now, on the other hand, let us suppose 
he said: “Ned, you can’t afford to be little 
because he is. I don’t believe Abraham Lin- 
coln would do it. Let’s be too big to let him 
bother us.” In this case we will be influenced 
in the right way. The advice of a pal counts. 


The Latin Proverb 


There is an old Latin proverb which shows 
the influence of companions. A father gave 
his son a basket of apples. The son was very 
proud of the gift and set them away. There 
was one bad apple among them. When he re- 
turned a few days later, he found that many 
of the apples had spoiled. He showed his 
father what had happened and the man re- 
plied, “Son, bad apples spoil good ones, and 
bad companions spoil good boys.” 


Appeal 

Let us associate with those people who help 
us to be “physically strong, mentally awake, 
and morally straight.” 


THE MESSAGE OF THE CAMERA 


Purpose: To show the wisdom of storing your memory 
with inspirmg pictures. 
Oxssect Mareriats: A camera, a beautiful mountain pic- 
ture and a picture of some unlovely spot. 
SCRIPTURE: Finally, brothers, keep in mind whatever is 
true, whatever is worthy, whatever is just, whatever 
31 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


is pure, whatever is attractive, whatever is high-toned, 
all excellence, all merit.—Phil. 4. 8. 


Lesson Story 

I nave here to-day a camera. It is a simple 
but wonderful little box with a shutter, a lens, 
and a sensitive film in the back. When I open 
the shutter, the rays of light pass through the 
lens and focus on the film. When that is de- 
veloped we have a picture. 

Let us go on a trip and take the camera 
along. We are going to the mountains and 
will want some mountain pictures. Here is 
one, snow-capped, cloud-encircled, clad with a 
mantle of green firs. It stands so quiet and 
still. Let us take a picture of it. Here behind 
me is an ugly rock pile tangled with weeds. I 
claim I want the picture of the mountains, but 
I turn the camera toward the weeds and pull 
the shutter. What will I have as a picture— 
the mountain? No, I will have the rock pile 
and a tangle of weeds. That is what I focused 
upon. 

There is a life lesson for us in this incident. 
We may state it that the memory picture 
which we have in the mind will be determined 
by what we look at. Our eyes are constantly 


bringing in pictures. These mental pictures 
are then hung on memory’s wall and remain 


forever. ‘The scientist tells us that if a picture 
32 


OUR HABITS FORMING CHARACTER 


persists for a couple of seconds, it will last for 
life. Since our memory pictures are so lasting, 
we should be careful what kind of pictures we 
store up. 


Stocking the Mind With Harmful Pictures 


Here is a boy or girl who begins stocking 
his or her picture gallery with pictures he or she 
will regret. If a boy, he cheats in the baseball 
game—memory tucks that picture away. He 
delights in torturing dumb animals—that 1s 
added to the list. He tucks Bob’s new glove 
under his waist. When accused of taking it 
he puts the blame on an innocent boy. The 
vicious memories of theft and lying have been 
stored away. Around home he is constantly 
complaining. He makes life miserable for all 
the rest. He throws his clothes around and 
makes mother much extra work. He is utterly 
selfish. And even a girl may do some of these 
things. Think of the pictures they are storing 
away in the mind. Cheating and cruelty and 
theft and lying and selfishness—what a picture 
gallery they will have! And, worst of all, they 
must live with it the rest of their life, for no 
picture is ever lost. 


Stocking the Mind With Pictures That Inspire 


There was once a lad in the backwoods of 
33 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


Indiana who purposed in his heart to store up 
_ only those memories which would inspire. He 
overcharged a woman three cents one day and 
walked several miles to repay her. He would 
not have a memory that had the appearance of 
cheating. At another time he saw a pig mired 
in the ditch. Although he had on his_ best 
clothes he helped free the pig. He did not 
want a memory of dumb animals in distress. 
He was too big to be selfish. He could 
overlook the faults of others. When, dur- 
ing the Civil War, some lad had fallen 
asleep on sentry duty, he pardoned him rather 
than allow the rules of war to be executed; 
and this he did more than once. Lincoln 
knew that one cannot have beautiful memory 
pictures if he fills his mind with bad thoughts 
and unkindly deeds. (Hold up ugly picture.) 


What Picture Returns Most Often to the Mind? 


I want to take up now the most serious con- 
sideration. What memory picture comes most 
frequently to your mind in your leisure mo- 
ments? What do you enjoy thinking about? 
If left to yourself, what memory comes crowd- 
ing into your mind? The true nature of any 
boy or girl is known when we know what his 
or her mind naturally turns to in the moments 


of idleness. Is it a vicious picture of an evil 
34 


OUR HABITS FORMING CHARACTER 


deed? If so, that is an indication of the kind 
of person the thinker is. Is it a picture that 
inspires? If so, that is the true index of his or 
her life. Remember, we cannot always say 
what picture shall enter the mind, but we can 
determine whether it shall remain or not. 

Let us follow this bit of reasoning. If I 
look in front of me, I can’t look behind me 
at the same time. (Enact this so that they 
grasp the idea.) If I think this noble thing, I 
can't think a base thing at the same time. If 
I insist on focusing the attention on the good, 
I crowd out the bad. Paul knew this truth. 
He said, in substance, in the Scripture lesson: 
“Insist on thinking about the true and just 
and honest and pure. If you compel the mind 
to dwell on these things, there will be no room 
for anything else. Meditate on Inspiring 
memories.” 


Appeal 

Let us stock the walls of memory with beau- 
tiful pictures of kindly deeds. Let us hold 
them before the mind in our leisure moments. 
By so doing we are losing the capacity to think 
thoughts of evil. | 


A 
i Wy Uneays 


ly tk 
AW 





OCTOBER 
CHARACTER MEETING THE TEST 





THE TIME OF TESTING 


Purpose: To show that habits built now will be tested 
in later life 

Opsect Materrats: The box with sand, twigs for trees, 
sod for grass, background of cardboard, a piece of flat 
rock, pebbles for the river, and two children’s blocks 
to represent the houses. 





Scrrerure: Now, everyone who listens to these words of 
mine and acts upon them will be like a sensible man 
who built his house on rock. The rain came down, the 
floods rose, the winds blew and beat upon that house, 
but it did not fall, for it was founded on rock. And 
everyone who listens to these words of mine and does 
not act upon them will be like a stupid man who built 
his house on sand. The rain came down, the floods 
rose, the winds blew and beat upon that house, and. 
down it fell—with a mighty crash.—Mat. 7. 24-27. 


Lesson STORY 


Our lesson to-day shows us that the charac- 
39 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


ters we are building will have their time of 
testing. Jesus gives us in a few verses a story 
which [ want to enlarge. 

Two shepherds in southern Palestine de- 
cided to migrate northward. They gathered 
together their belongings and herds and started 
out. After traveling slowly for many days 
along the banks of the Jordan River they came 
one day to a beautiful valley. The grass was 
long and plentiful. A little river wandered 
through the plains bringing moisture for the 
growing things. The men looked at it for a 
time and decided that this should be their 
new home. 


The Foolish Shepherd Builds His House 


One of the shepherds was not a very wise 
man. He looked about and found a spot near 
the river. “Aha,” he said, “here is a fine place 
for my house. The water is handy, the trees 
are close by, my flocks can rest here in the 
shade. I will build my house here upon the 
sand and it will soon be done.” So he gath- 
ered his material and went to work and shortly 
his house was completed. (Set in block to 
represent his house.) 


The Wise Shepherd Builds His House 


The other shepherd was more careful in the 
40 


CHARACTER MEETING THE TEST 


choice of a location. He saw that the river 
- overflowed its banks durmg the rainy season. 
He knew that it would destroy all his work if 
it came rushing from the snow-capped peaks 
in the distance. Seeing a ledge of rock far 
back and high above the level of the valley, 
he quietly said, ““There is the spot for my 
house.” 

The other shepherd looked at him im sur- 
prise. “You are not going ’way back there to 
build, are you? Think of the hard work you 
will have in getting your material up there. 
Then you will have to carry all of your water 
from the river. Why don’t you build right 
here beside me on the sands? It is much 
easier.” But the wise shepherd said, “I will 
build my house upon a rock.” 


The Testing Time Comes 
Days came and went. Slowly the wise 
builder gathered his material and sank his 
foundations into the rock. Slowly he builded. 
Carefully he laid the walls that would with- 
stand both wind and weather. After many 
days his house was completed. (Set im other 
‘block.) And both shepherds were happy in 
their new homes. 
But finally the rainy season set in. The 
rains fell day after day. The river rose above 
41 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


its usual level. The foolish builder looked 
worried. Then one night the storm broke in | 
all its fury. The wind howled and shrieked 
down the valley, the cloud banks scudded dark 
along the horizon, the water from the distant 
mountains came with maddening roar down 
over the valley. The foolish shepherd heard 
it and fled for the home of his neighbor. In 
the darkness he heard it strike his house and 
crash it to pieces (snatch away the lower 
block), but the home of his neighbor was safe 
from the storm. It was founded upon a rock. 


Application 


This story is talking about your life and 
mine. Jesus said that life should be tested, 
and that unless we built carefully our work 
would not stand the test. 

Here is a boy who is having an examination 
in school. He has been too lazy to master the 
problems each day, but now he wants to pass 
the test. He sees his neighbor’s paper on the 
desk in front of him, and slyly copies what he 
finds on it. He is doing the unwise thing—he 
is building on the sand. That is exactly what 
Jesus said about the foolish builder. He was 
a cheat. He had built on a wrong founda- 
tion, and so has this boy, and in the time of 
testing he cannot stand. 

42 


CHARACTER MEETING THE TEST 


Appeal 


“A Seout is trustworthy.” Let us build 
absolute honesty into our lives. In all places 
and under all conditions let us live up to this 
first rule of noble living. Then we will be like 
the man who built his house upon the rock. 


PLAYING THE GAME SQUARE 


Purpose: To show the value of living up to your ideals. | 
ScripTuRE: Do you not know that in a race, though all 
run, only one man gains the prize? Run so as to win 
the prize. Every athlete practices self-restraint all 
round; but while they do it to win a fading wreath, 
we do it for an unfading.—1 Cor. 9. 24~26. 
I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, 
I have kept the faith —2 Tim. 4. 7. 


LEsson STORY 


Out on the plains of Kansas, in the little 
county seat of Colby, a baseball game was 
about to begin. Two high schools were soon 
to battle for the championship of their schools 
and their respective counties. For weeks they 
had been preparing for this crucial day. Each 
had beaten the other schools of the county. 
For weeks parents and friends had talked of 
the coming contest. Now the time for the 
combat had arrived. 

The day dawned bright and clear. The 


wind blew from the southwest and the plains 
43 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


shimmered in the heat. Long before the time 
when the game was to be called, the “fans” | 
began to arrive. Delegations from the Good- 
land High School and Sherman County came 
with their school yells and their banners. The 
home team of Colby also had its enthusiastic 
rooters and supporters. There was noise and 
action in abundance. 

At exactly two-thirty o’clock the umpire 
called the game. Each team played its best. 
The pitchers of the opposing teams did such 
fine work that one inning after another passed 
without a score. In the sixth mning the home 
team lost control of the game and allowed 
three runs to be made. The Goodland and 
Sherman County crowd went wild with delight. 
They felt sure that their team would be able 
to win the game. Playing with grim determina- 
tion, the Colby team made one run in the 
seventh inning. At the opening of the ninth 
inning the score was still three to one in favor 
of Goodland. This was probably Colby’s last 
chance. The visiting team was retired with- 
out a score. Colby came to bat. Was it possi- 
ble for them to win against such odds? ‘The 
first man up, Jones, made a hit and got safely 
to first base. The next batter fanned. The 
third was caught on a fly—and it was in the 


ninth inning! So with two men out and a 
44 


CHARACTER MEETING THE TEST 


man on first, Slim Medill came to bat. He 
~ was the idol of the home team and deserved 
the honor. Several times before when the 
team were behind he had hit a home run and 
saved the day. 

The first ball did not suit Slim and he let 
it go by. 

“Strike one!’ shouted the umpire. 

Slim said nothing. Again the pitcher hurled 
the ball. 

“Strike two!” cried the umpire. 

The Goodland rooters shouted in derision. 
Then came a ball right over the plate and 
Slim smashed it with all his might. The ball 
soared toward the far center field and Slim 
started on what was plainly a home run. 
Jones made the circuit and came racing home 
with Medill one base behind him and going 
fast. In the meantime the center fielder had 
got the ball and had sent it straight and true 
to his second baseman. Slim was homeward 
bound from third base. It now became a race 
between man and ball. Which would get 
there first? Slim saw the catcher getting ready 
to receive the relayed ball. He heard the 
coach yell to him to slide. He did so and 
landed at the catcher’s feet in a cloud of dust. 
The umpire called him “safe.” 


It was now the Colby rooters’ turn to make 
. 45 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


a noise, and they did. They threw their hats 
into the air; they slapped one another on the 
back and shouted until they were hoarse. 
Then something happened. Slim was seen to 
walk out to the umpire and exchange a few 
words with him. The latter raised his hand, 
and as the uproar died down he said: ‘Medill 
tells me that he did not touch home plate. 
The decision is reversed. He is out.” 

There was rejoicing by the Goodland people 
as the crowd dispersed, but everyone present 
that day knew that Slim Medill had won a 
greater victory than the one indicated by the 
score. 


HOW DANIEL MET THE TEST— 
A PANTOMIME 


Purpose: To show how a brave man met the test of his 
character. 





Attendant X X Attendant 
Throne 
Entrance 

Exit for Daniel’s 
Nobles Home 

Pa Lal 

‘Lion's 
Den 


46 


CHARACTER MEETING THE TEST 
Arrangement of the platform 


CHARACTERS 
The King of Babylon. Two jealous nobles. 
Daniel, his counselor. Two attendants. 


Properties. The staging of this pantomime 
should be very simple. A platform with two 
levels is better if available. In the center back 
should be a platform and throne. For equip- 
ment of attendants one might look at pictures 
of the court in the early days and note the 
things they had. Large cardboard fans should 
be carried by the attendants. The king will 
want to write. A board with paper, pen, and 
tacks for the decree will be needed. Two fold- 
ing screens should be placed to serve as a 
home for Daniel and an exit for the nobles in 
case no door is available. On the extreme left 
- should be placed some chairs to serve as a 
lions’ den. 

Costumes. The costuming should likewise 
be simple. A long flowing robe, a gilt crown, 
and a scepter will be the king’s equipment. 
The nobles and Daniel might wear turbans 
and bathrobes so as to suggest the Oriental 
garb. The attendants should wear ordinary 
knee trousers and customary garb. 

Method of Procedure. The pastor or teacher 
should choose six boys who will be willing to 

47 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


work seriously. He should read the story 
given below to them until they are thoroughly | 
familiar with it. Then they should enact it as 
they feel it should be done. No word is spoken 
during the pantomime. On the Sunday morn- 
ing before the pantomime begins, the pastor 
should read or tell the story given below to 
the congregation. At the close of the story 
the boys enact it. 


Lesson Story 


Long years ago there lived in the city of 
Jerusalem a young prince by the name of 
Daniel. While he was still a young man, the 
invading armies of Babylonia came marching 
through his country and he was carried a cap- 
tive to the city of Babylon. The king wished 
to have one of the captured princes as his 
counselor, and Daniel was chosen. He was 
therefore carefully trained in all the wisdom 
and learning of Babylonia. 

Some of the nobles of the king were not 
anxious to have this foreigner take a place 
they wanted. As soon as they had presented 
him to the king and had seen him crowned 
counselor, they began to plot his downfall. 

The only fault they could find with Daniel 
was his religious habits. Each day he opened 
the windows of his house toward Jerusale 

48 


CHARACTER MEETING THE TEST 


and prayed to his God. This gave them an 
idea and they went to the king with a petition. 
When they were finally admitted to his pres- 
ence, they said: “O king, live forever. Let a 
decree be made that any person who prays 
to any god or image save to thee for the next 
thirty days, shall be thrust into the den of 
lions.” Then they waited breathlessly to see 
whether the king would suspect their plot. 

The king felt flattered by their petition. He 
was to be worshiped in his realm as a god. 
They were to pray to him. So he called for 
his writing material and the decree was written 
and signed. 

Now came the test for Daniel. What should 
he do? Stop praying? Close his doors and 
windows and pray? But Daniel never hesi- 
tated. He opened his windows as usual and 
prayed to the true God. 

The jealous nobles had been watching Dan- 
iel, and when they saw that he prayed as usual 
they sped away to the king. When again they 
were admitted to his presence they said: “O 
king, live forever. Did you not make a de- 
cree that any person praying to any god or 
idol save to thyself for the next thirty days 
should be thrust into the den of lions?” 

The king answered, “‘Yes.”’ 

They cried out, “O king, that Daniel, thy 

49 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


counselor, has this day prayed three times to 
his God. He must be put in the den of lions.” 

The king saw the trap that had been laid 
for him, but since he had made the decree it 
must be carried out. He with his nobles took 
Daniel to the lions’ den and put him inside. 
As night came on the king became more and 
more unhappy. He could not sleep. He failed 
to enjoy music. At length he commanded to 
be taken to the den of lions. When one of the 
servants had removed the door he shouted, 
“O Daniel, O Daniel.” And quickly there 
came the answer from within: “O king, live 
forever. My God hath sent his angels and 
shut the lions’ mouths and they have done 
me no harm.” 

Quickly did the king unbar the gates and 
allow Daniel to come forth. And there under 
the silent stars Daniel knelt and thanked the 
God who had helped him to meet the test. 


THe Pantomime As EnactEep 


Act [. King enters from left screen, followed 
by nobles and attendants. As he ascends the 
throne they kneel. Attendants take their 
places. He points toward the house of Daniel 
and commands him to be brought. Nobles 
exit and bring Daniel, who likewise kneels and 
then is given a place beside the king. Nobles 

50 


CHARACTER MEETING THE TEST 


exit and register anger as they cross the stage. 
_ The king and Daniel exit and Daniel stops at 
his house. 

Act II. Daniel steps to left of his house 
and prays, looking to right. Nobles come from 
behind screen, left, and point at him in deri- 
sion. Then one stops as though struck by a 
bright idea. They exit. and Daniel returns to 
his home. The king comes back to throne, 
followed by attendants. The nobles enter. 
They make demand for a decree. The king 
smiles. Calls for pen and paper. He writes 
decree and hands the document to the nobles. 
They take it and post it on Daniel’s house. 
Then they exit behind their screen. Daniel 
comes out and reads the decree. Stands for a 
moment, then kneels in prayer. Nobles come 
out and find him there. They hasten away to 
the king. Are admitted by the lowering of the 
scepter. They speak of decree. King nods. 
They tell of Daniel. King looks sad. They 
insist, and finally all go and escort Daniel to 
lions’ den. 

Act III. King returns to throne. Uneasy. 
Shakes head. Rises as if to go. Sits again. 
Walks back and forth. Finally beckons, and 
they go to lions’ den. He places hands at 
mouth as if calling. Face of Daniel appears 
through rounds of chair. King lifts back chair 

51 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


and he comes forth. Kneels and prays toward 
right as kg and attendants stand at atten- 
tion. All exit, left. 


THE DANGER OF LITTLE THINGS 


Purrose: To show that we should beware of the small 

~ deeds of evil that will undermine character. 

Oxssect Matrertats: A piece of white cloth, a piece of mud 
which will leave a heavy black mark. (Use crayon for 
the smaller piece of mud.) 

Scripture: The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man 
which sowed good seed in his field: but while men slept, 

‘his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, 
and went his way. But when the blade was sprung 
up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares 
also. So the servants of the householder came and said 
unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy 
field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto 
them, An enemy hath done this.—Matt. 13. 24-28. 


Lesson Story 

Let us review the work we have covered so 
far. We have found that we are each char- 
acter builders. We build out of the thoughts 
we think, the deeds we do, the memories we 
store up, the habits we develop. At some 
time or another we meet temptation and our 
lives are tested. If we have built well, we 
overcome the temptation; if not, we give in. 
To-day I wish we might realize the danger 
that comes from allowing small evils to creep 


into our lives. 
52 


CHARACTER MEETING THE TEST 


I have here a piece of cloth and some mud. 
J am going to rub this mud across the cloth. 
What will happen? A black mark is left where 
the mud touched the cloth. 

But, now, children, I am going to take a, 
very small piece of this mud and rub it across 
the cloth. It is a very small piece; surely it 
will do no harm. It will not leave a mark, 
will it? Let us try it and see. I rub the small 
piece across the cloth and there is the mark. 

There is the lesson God wishes you to learn 
to-day. We think that because a sin 1s large 
it is dangerous, and we are right. But then 
we think of some little thing, some trivial 
wrong, some lesser violation of truth or hon- 
esty, and because it is small we feel that it 
won’t count. But (holding up the cloth) it 
leaves its mark. 


Habits Begin From Little Things 


You remember that we spoke in an earlier 
lesson about the forming of habits. We found 
that a habit started from a single thought. 
When that thought passed through the mind 
it left its trace. The thought might become 
an act. That was definitely registered m the 
brain. If the act was repeated, it became a 
habit, for habits are merely the continued do- 
ing of any act. Herein lies the danger of little 

53 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


things. It doesn’t make any difference whether 
we begin by stealing a large amount or a small 
one; we are beginning the habit. 


Examples of Small Temptations 

James was sent to the store with twenty- 
five cents to purchase some articles. His 
mother told him that they would cost that 
amount. He found that they would cost only 
twenty-four. Now, James might have said: 
“It is only a penny and mother will never 
know. Why shouldn’t I spend it??? But the 
boy knew that if he would take a penny with- 
out the consent of his mother, he might take 
a million dollars some day if the chance came. 
He would not start the bad habit. 

A group of Girl Scouts were boarding a 
crowded street car. Some other girls got on 
at the same time and crowded forward with- 
out paying their fare. It would have been 
possible for the Scouts to have done so too, 
but they would not start the habit of stealing. 
They were too proud of their honor to sell it 
for five cents. 

The girls were having a party. It came time 
for refreshments and some candy was being 
passed. ‘There was one large piece of candy 
on the dish along with the smaller ones. Mary 
might have taken the largest piece, but she 

54 


CHARACTER MEETING THE TEST 


_did not do so, for that would have been selfish. 
She took one of the smaller pieces rather than 
cultivate the habit of selfishness. 

Bob was building a boat. While working on 
it one day, he hit his finger. It was a bad bruise 
and he might have got mad and thrown the 
hammer. But he did not, for he was trying 
to control his temper, and he would not allow 
one single occasion to break the habit of control. 


Appeal 

Children, we are daily meeting the testing 
of our habits. This piece of cloth teaches us 
(holding up the cloth) that habits begin with 
small deeds as well as large ones. Jesus wishes 
us to sow only the good seed in our field of 
character, that no tares may spring up and 
grow. 


SEEDTIME AND HARVEST 


Purpose: To show that we reap what we sow. 

Oxsecr Marerrats: Box with sand, background of card- 
board, twigs for trees, sack with wheat and sack with 
weed seeds. 

ScrietuRE: Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also 
reap.—Gal. 6. 7. 

But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap 
also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall 
reap also bountifully.—2 Cor. 9. 6. 

Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find 
it after many days.—Eccl. 11. 1. 

55 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


' Lesson STORY 

(Note: Have sand box all ready before the 
lesson begins.) 

To-pay we are going to play farmer. I 
know all you children enjoy planting seeds, 
and we are going to plant some wheat. Here 
is our field. It is all tilled and ready for the 
planting of the seed. Here are some seeds in 
this sack. What kind of seeds are these? 
Wheat; that is right. In this sack I have some 
weed seed. We are a little short on wheat, so 
I am going to mix them all together. It won’t 
make any difference anyway, will it? TU just 
whisper to these seeds that they are supposed 
to grow wheat and it will be all right. 

Now we get out the machinery and horses 
and drill in the seed. After a time it comes up 
nice and green. ‘The weather is just right and 
it grows fast. But what is the matter with 
that field! Some of the sprouts don’t act lke 
wheat at all. They are branching out and 
sending out little leaves. Wheat doesn’t do 
that. 

Now, let us imagine that it is fall. We are 
going out into the field. What do you sup- 
pose we will find? Mostly weeds. Why? 
Because that is what we planted. The weeds 
crowded out the wheat. And we reap what 


we sow. 
56 


CHARACTER MEETING THE TEST 


— Application 

Jesus told that same story once. He was 
very anxious that we should learn the lesson. 
He was referring to character when he told it. 
He wanted us to know that we get out of life 
what we put into it. There are some other 
stories in the Bible that teach the same truth. 
Let us recall two of them. 


The Story of Haman 


At one time the children of Israel were car- 
ried into captivity down in the land of Persia. 
There was a man there by the name of Haman. 
He hated the Jews and particularly Mordecai, 
the uncle of Esther. He went so far as to 
build a gallows in his yard where he expected 
to hang Mordecai. Then he went to the king 
and tried to get a decree that would bring 
Mordecai into his power. The gil queen, 
Esther, went to the king and pleaded in behalf 
of her people and her uncle. The story ends 
by Haman’s being hanged on the gallows he 
had planned for another. He got out of life 
what he put into it. 


The Story. of Jacob 


Another story with the same lesson is that 
of Jacob. Esau, his brother, was older than 
he and therefore should receive the birthright 

57 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


blessing from their father. But Jacob wanted 
this birthright. So he dressed up like his 
brother and stole into his father’s room. The 
father was almost blind and could not see the 
boy, but at length he blessed Jacob thinking 
it was Esau. Jacob had sowed deceit and 
treachery. Now watch the harvest. His 
brother returns and finds out what has hap- 
pened. Jacob flees for his life. He goes to 
the childhood home of his mother. When he 
leaves that place, he has to sneak away secretly. 
His brother Esau is now a rich farmer in their 
old home. Jacob comes back trembling and in 
fear. Later in life, when an old man, the sons 
of Jacob deceived him about his son, Joseph, 
even as he had deceived his father in his 
youth. His life was made miserable because 
he was reaping what he sowed. 


Sowing the Seeds of Helpfulness 


There is another side to this law of God. 
If we sow good seed, we will just as surely 
reap a worthy harvest. Someone has said, 
“Give to the world the best you have, and 
the best will come back to you.” This is also 
true. Lincoln is loved to-day because of the 
helpful deeds he planted in his life. He knew 
the truth of our Scripture lesson, which says, 
Scatter the deeds of kindness through life, and 

58 


CHARACTER MEETING THE TEST 


after many days you will have your reward: 
“Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou 
shalt find it after many days.” 


Appeal 

Let us ask Jesus to help us that only seeds 
of kindness shall be planted in the garden of 
our heart. 


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NOVEMBER 


BUILDING HELPFULNESS INTO 
CHARACTER 





THE MESSAGE OF THE GREAT 
STONE FACE 


Purpose: To show that we become like the hero we 
admire. 

Scrrerure: And he was there with the Lord forty days 
and forty nights; . . . And it came to pass, when Moses 
came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of 
testimony in Moses’ hand . . . that Moses wist not 
that ... his face shone while he talked with him. 
—Erxod. 3h. 28, 29. 

They looked unto him, and were lightened.—Psa. 
34. 5. 
LESSON STORY 
In the White Mountains of New Hampshire 
is one of the marvels of nature called the 

Great Stone Face—the majestic features of a 

man fashioned on the mountainside. As you 

climb higher and higher along the Indian trail 
in Franconia Notch, you finally reach a van- 
tage point where this calm countenance stands 
out clear and distinct against the western sky. 

Here in a little quiet valley lived a boy, 

Ernest, and his mother. Each evening after the 

work was done they would sit on the doorstep 

and look away toward the Old Man of the 

Mountains. How noble he looked, how calm 

and composed! He seemed always to be 

thinking kindly thoughts and planning noble 
63 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


deeds. The lad learned to love the Old Man 
who guarded their valley. 

One night Ernest’s mother told him an an- 
cient tradition. For many years it had been 
believed that one day a man would return 
who would be the exact likeness of the Great 
Stone Face. He must be a native of the val- 
ley, he should have made a great success in 
the world, and on his return he would become 
ruler of the valley. Ernest listened eagerly to 
the story and then said, “Oh, I hope I shall see 
that man when he comes,” and he looked lov- 
ingly toward the serene face there in the gath- 
ering twilight. 

The days came and went. The boy looked 
forward to the time when some person should 
come who would be the likeness of his hero of 
the mountain. At length a rumor started 
that the great man was about to arrive. He 
was a native of the valley. He had amassed 
great wealth in the world. Gathergold was his 
name. Ernest was there to welcome him. 
When finally he stepped from his carriage, the 
people all shouted that he was the exact like- 
ness of the stone face beyond. Ernest looked 
but once. He saw the selfish face of the 
merchant. “This is not the man who repre- 
sents the Great Stone Face,” he said sadly as 
he turned away. 

64 


BUILDING HELPFULNESS 


In time the rich man died. People came to 
see that he was not the likeness of the Old 
Man. Years rolled by when again a rumor 
ran through the vailey that one was to return 
who would fulfill their every expectation. He 
was a warrior of renown, Blood and Thunder 
by name. Ernest, now a young man, went 
with the others to welcome him. “Hurrah!” 
they shouted, “‘here is the exact likeness of the 
Great Stone Face.’ But to Ernest the hard, 
commanding face of the warrior little resem- 
bled the kindly face of his friend. In later 
years others came who claimed to fulfill the 
ancient tradition, but Ernest always turned 
away In disappointment. 

Ernest was now a man of middle age. His 
days were spent in working on the farm or in 
doing deeds of kindness to his neighbors. He 
was known far and wide for his thoughtful- 
ness for others. No person in need was ever 
turned away without aid. And each night as 
he looked at the Old Man of the Mountains 
he only hoped that he had lived as his hero 
would have him live. 

One evening, in company with a poet, Ernest 
made his way to the settlement where he often 
spoke to the people. Here on a stone platform 
he would talk to them about the beautiful 
things of life and the noble way of living. He 

65 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


began to speak this time. The poet was seated 
in such a position that the face of Ernest was 
in direct line with the face on the mountain- 
side. As he looked at Ernest and then at the 
Old Man, he suddenly shouted, “Look, look; 
Ernest is the one who represents the Great 
Stone Face.” Those who saw him realized 
that it was so. He had become like the one 
he admired. 


Application 

There is a great truth in this lesson. We do 
become like our hero. We may not in features, 
but we do in life and character. The boy who 
fashions his life after Lincoln and tries to live 
as Lincoln lived will find himself becoming 
like the one he admires. 

Jesus Christ is the world’s greatest hero. 
He was the friend and helper of all men. Like 
a Scout Master he gathered his followers about 
him and taught them how to live nobly. He 
taught them to do their “good turn” daily. 
He showed them how to be strong in difficulty 
and calm in danger. The great Hero wishes 
us to pattern our lives after him, and to be- 
come like him. 

(Adapted from the story, “The Great Stone 
Face,” by Nathaniel Hawthorne.) 


66 


BUILDING HELPFULNESS 


THE GOOD SAMARITAN—A 
PANTOMIME 


Purpose: To show that we should cultivate the habit 
of helpfulness. ; 


Tent 
The Inn 


Screen 


Entrance 





Screen 


cs 
CHARACTERS 
A Priest. Two robbers. 
A Levite. An Innkeeper. 


Good Samaritan and boy Man to be robbed. 
for horse. 


Properties: A stage with two levels will be 
better if available. A tent can serve as the inn. 
If no door is behind tent for entrance-exit, a 
screen will serve the purpose. Three chairs on 
the platform covered with canvas will suggest 
mountains. Another screen off-stage at ex- 
treme right will serve for an exit in case no door 
is there. A wallet will be needed for man 
going down to Jericho. Two paper cudgels for 
robbers. Bottle and cloth for Good Samari- 

67 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


tan to bind up head. Bit of rope to lead horse 
for Samaritan. 

Costuming: Look up pictures of the period. 
Use simple costumes. Bathrobes and turbans 
will help to suggest the Oriental. The man to 
be robbed should have a cape which can easily 
be stripped off. 

Method of Procedure: This should be pre- 
pared in the same way that the other panto- 
mime was prepared. The pastor or teacher 
should select eight boys who will take the 
work seriously. He should partially equip the 
platform. Then he should read the story to 
them until they are thoroughly familiar with 
it, after which they enact it as they feel it 
should be done. On the Sunday that it is to 
be given the pastor or teacher should read or 
tell the story very vividly to the congregation. 
When he has finished the boys enact the story. 
This must be done entirely by action and 
without words. 


Lesson Story 


There once lived a Jewish merchant in the 
city of Jerusalem. His trade was large and he 
often traveled to distant cities. It so hap- 
pened that on a certain day he had to go to 
the city of Jericho. This was a particularly 


dangerous journey; the road led through rocky 
68 


BUILDING HELPFULNESS 


gorges, sharp corners hid the view ahead, and 

deep caverns by the roadside formed a favor- 
able hiding place for the robbers. It was the 
custom to wait until a traveler had passed 
around a corner and then attack him from 
the rear. They would beat him into insensi- 
bility, rob him of his valuables, and slip back 
to their dark caves to wait for the next victim. 
This was what happened to the merchant as 
he journeyed down the pass. They took his 
wallet, stripped him of his outer garments, and 
left him there to die. 

Not long after this a priest came down the 
pass. He was one who served God in the 
Temple and it was his duty to help those m 
need. But the wounded man had been stripped 
of his outer garments, and the priest could not be 
sure that he was not one of the despised Samar- 
itans. Rather than defile himself by helping 
a Samaritan “dog,” he drew his garments 
about him and passed by. 

Then a Levite came by. He also was a 
worker in the Temple. He too should have 
helped his fellow man here in need. He came 
near him but could not be sure that he was 
a Jew. So he also passed by and left the 
man to die. 

It so happened that a Samaritan was travel- 
ing up to Jerusalem. He passed the haughty 

69 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


priest and the Levite and then came upon the 
wounded man lying on the trail. He realized 
the danger in lingering here. He had money 
with him and might be attacked by the out- 
laws. But here was a man in need. The 
Samaritan quickly ran to his side. He bound 
up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. He 
carefully lifted him onto his horse and took 
him to the inn a few miles distant. There he 
paid for his keep and promised to pay more 
if that was not enough. Then he went quietly 
on his way. 

Jesus closed this story by asking which of 
the three men was the real friend; the haughty 
priest, the selfish Levite, or the despised 
Samaritan. When they answered, he said, “Go 
thou and do likewise.” 


PANTOMIME 


Act I. Merchant, priest, and Levite behind 
upper screen. Innkeeper in tent. Robbers 
behind chair to the extreme right. Samaritan 
and horse behind lower screen. 

The Jewish merchant starts out from be- 
hind upper screen and makes way slowly to 
entrance-exit mark, where he turns back. As 
he comes, left, the robbers spring out, strike 
him over the head with paper cudgels, tear 
cape from shoulders, throw him.on the floor, 

70 


BUILDING HELPFULNESS 


take wallet and return to hiding. Man lies 
perfectly still. Considerable pause. 

Priest slowly walks toward entrance-exit, then 
turns. Haughtily passes by as far to front of 
platform as he can go. Long pause. Levite 
slowly comes down same path. Sees man. 
Stoops and touches him, then goes on to lower 
screen. Long pause. 

Act If. The Good Samaritan comes from 
lower screen leading a boy on hands and knees. 
He has a well-filled wallet. Walks along be- 
side his “horse.” Sees man. Looks toward 
mountains and then hastens to side of man. 
Ties cloth round head. Pours water from 
bottle. Helps him astride “horse.” Half sup- 
porting him they proceed to inn. There he 
pretends to call and innkeeper appears. They 
salaam, bow deeply from the hips. They lift 
man inside tent. Then coming outside the 
Samaritan gives money. Goes on his way and 
innkeeper returns inside. Empty stage. Long 
pause. 

Prayer by the pastor. 

Note to the Leader: A pantomime to be most 
successful should have absolute quiet on the 
part of both participants and audience. The 
one who is to be the man robbed should prac- 
tice fallmg the long way of the stage. After 
a few trials he will do this easily. All walking 

71 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


should be done slowly and with deliberation. 
Make long pauses between the different en- 
trances. | 


A CHALLENGE TO HELPFULNESS 


Purpose: To show that we should express our thank- 
fulness by helping others. 

Scripture: Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is 
within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O 
my soul, and forget not all his benefits: who forgiveth 
all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; who 
redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth 
thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; who 
satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy 
youth is renewed like the eagle’s.—Psa. 103. 1-5. 


Lzusson Story 

WE are about to celebrate the beautiful 
Thanksgiving season. I wonder if we always 
appreciate the many blessings which we enjoy. 
That we may see how much we have to be 
thankful for, let us go back to that first Thanks- 
giving and see the hardships which our fore- 
fathers endured. Even with all of them they 
praised God with thankful hearts. 


The Story of the First Thanksgiving 

In the late fall of 1620 a band of Pilgrims 
“moored their bark on the wild New England 
shore.” For days they had tossed on the 


wide ocean, and all were glad that at last a 
43 


BUILDING HELPFULNESS 


home had been found. It was a bleak, barren 
bit of coast land. The forest loomed dark and 
forbidding in the distance, the ocean stormed 
and roared near them. But to these sturdy 
pioneers it offered a place where they could 
worship God as they wished. 

A little boat put out for shore, bearing 
both men and women. As it came to the 
beach, Mary Chilton stepped out onto the now 
historic Plymouth Rock, saying, “I will be 
the first woman to set foot in our new city.” 
With that they set to work. Trees were felled 
and dragged from the forest and the common 
house was built. Then their hardships began 
in real earnest. The weather grew colder. 
Food was scarce and soon sickness attacked the 
little colony. At one time only seven of their 
number were not sick. Night after night they 
carried another member of the group out onto 
the hillside for burial. With the coming of 
spring only half of their number remained. 

Still they were not to be discouraged. They 
set about building homes for themselves. New 
log cabins arose around the common house. 
Squanto, their Indian friend, helped them to 
plant the corn and set traps for game. The 
grain and vegetables which they planted grew 
abundantly. 

Then came the harvest season. Twenty 

73 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


men and a few boys were left to gather in the 
grain. God had given them an abundant 
harvest. The corn was gathered and the wheat 
threshed. Wild fruits were picked from the 
forest and prepared for winter use. Seeing 
how they had prospered, these godly people 
decided to set aside a day of thanksgiving for 
all the blessings they had received. This was 
done. Two long tables were built outside their 
cabins and the food made ready. With one 
hundred of their Indian friends they sat down 
to eat. They partook of nourishing soup and 
brown bread, they ate the meat of the deer 
and wild turkey, they finished the meal with 
the pudding which the women had made. 
They were all satisfied and happy. For the 
food and protection and blessing which they 
enjoyed they thanked God. This was their 
first Thanksgiving day. 


Things We Have to Be Thankful For 


Tf we look about at this happy Thanks- 
giving time, we will see how much more we 
have to be thankful for than they had. We 
have comfortable homes while theirs were log 
cabins chinked with moss and leaves. We 
live protected from danger while they battled 
the wild beast, the savage Indian, and the fury 
of the weather. We travel along well-paved 

74 


BUILDING HELPFULNESS 


roads in. swiftly moving automobiles while 
they walked through the aisles of the forest. 
When sick we have the best doctors at our 
command, while they lay on crude cots and 
suffered in silence. We worship in our com- 
fortable churches and have our good times 
together while they worshiped in rude log 
churches, Our lives are filled with comforts 
and blessings such as they never knew. 


How We Can Help Others to Be Happy 


Because of the things we enjoy we should 
try to pass our blessings on to those who are 
less fortunate. On Thanksgiving Day we can 
bring our fruit and vegetables, our meats and 
cakes, and can fill baskets to be sent out. The 
best way to be happy this year is to make 
others happy. 

Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than 
to receive.” His was the joy of giving. Con- 
stantly He spent Himself for the welfare of 
others. Let us this year share the Master's 
joy by making others happy. 


THE MESSAGE OF SIR LAUNFAL 


Purprosz: To show that we should continue our life of 
helpfulness. 
ScriprurE: But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth 
his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of 
75 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in 
him?—1 John 3. 17. 

This is my commandment, That ye love one another, 
as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than 
this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye 
are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. 
—John 15. 12, 13. 


LEsson STORY 


Far away in the North Countree of England 
there lived a proud and haughty knight by 
the name of Sir Launfal. Tall of stature he 
was, and strong of arm. From childhood he 
had been trained in the art of war until now 
as a young man he had become a mighty 
warrior. Many men had felt the force of his 
battleax, and not a few had been unhorsed by 
his trusty lance. 

The castle of Sir Launfal had been the 
home of his forefathers for many generations. 
Grim and cold and forbidding it towered over 
the plains of the North Countree. Only the 
lords and ladies of high degree ever entered 
its gates. Kings had feasted in its banquet 
room, and nobles found a hearty welcome 
within its massive walls. 

But the poor who dwelt in the North Coun- 
tree found no welcome there. Many a beggar 
had sat at its gate and watched the festive 
occasions within but had never dared enter. 

76 


BUILDING HELPFULNESS 


Many a weary traveler would have shared its 
warmth and cheer from the cold blasts of the 
outer air, but its surly gates closed with a clang 
against his entrance. The plaintive cry of the 
needy found little response in the heart of the 
haughty noble who dwelt within the castle. 

It was a long-established custom among the 
knights of England to go in search of the Holy 
Grail, the cup from which Christ drank at 
the Last Supper. Sir Launfal decided to fol- 
low the example of his fellows and search for 
the Holy Grail. Accordingly, he ordered his 
servants to prepare his coat of mail and to 
make ready his most powerful war horse. On 
the night before his departure he slept on a 
bed of rushes beside the castle wall, hoping 
that he might have a vision which would help 
him on his journey. And as he slept he 
dreamed. 

In his dream it seemed to be morning and 
he fared forth from his castle gate. As he gal- 
loped out, he saw a beggar crouching by the 
wayside. He scornfully tossed the man a piece 
of money and was riding on when he heard the 
man say, “He gives nothing but worthless gold 
who gives from a sense of duty.” The beggar 
left the coin lying in the dust. 

Sir Launfal rode away. He went to distant 
lands. He engaged in many combats. He 

77 


THE UNGUARDED GATE ~ 


searched in unknown cities for the Holy Grail. 
He passed under the shadow of the Sphinx 
and fought at the foot of the Pyramids. He 
saw the caravans creep snakelike across the 
red-hot sands of the desert. But in all his 
quest he never found the prize which he sought. 

The years came and went. Sir Launfal was 
becoming an old man. His faithful war horse 
had been killed in battle. Dressed in the 
plain garb of a pilgrim, he wandered from place 
to place. Finally he decided to return to his 
home in the North Countree. It was winter 
time when he reached his castle. His thin 
cloak and his crude sandals offered meager 
protection against the cold. 

The old man came to his own castle. Another 
earl now ruled in his place, and he was driven 
from his own door as any common beggar would 
have been. He went out beside the brook 
which flowed near by and dreamed of the days 
of the past. As he sat and mused, a leper came 
and begged an alms of him. This time he 
willingly shared his crust of bread and the 
water from the brook. 

Then came a strange transformation. In- 
stead of a beggar by his side he saw the Christ. 
And in the wondrous light which shone about 
him he heard a voice which said, 


78 


BUILDING HELPFULNESS 


‘Not what we give but what we share, 
For the gift without the giver is bare; 
Who gives himself with his alms feeds three— 
Himself, his hungering neighbor, and Me.” 


Sir Launfal awoke from his dream with a 
start. He stared about him questioningly to 
be sure that he was still the young knight who 
was about to fare forth on the following day. 
Then the force of his dream dawned upon him. 
He commanded that his coat of mail be hung 
up and that his war horse be led back to the 
stables. His task was to help the poor and 
needy ones who lived near by. 

The gates of the grim old castle were opened 
wide to all who would enter. The hungry 
found here food in abundance. The sick were 
cared for. The poorest serf in all that North 
Countree found a friend in Sir Launfal. And 
no noble was more happy than he. Sir Launfal 
was investing his life in helpfulness. 


79 


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Vy fie i ip) Airs 


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DECEMBER 


THE COMING OF THE GREAT 
HELPER 





TRUE VALUES IN LIFE 


Purpose: To show that true worth is not in external 
things but in noble character. 

Ossect Materrats: Tinseled paper, colored string, piece 
of mud, crude, brown paper, diamond ring. 

ScripruRE: And the Lord said unto Samuel, How long 
wilt thou mourn for Saul, seemg I have rejected him 
from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and 
go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite; for I 
have provided me a king among his sons. . . . And 
Samuel did that which the Lord spake, and came to 
Bethlehem. . . . And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, 
and calied them to the sacrifice. And it came to pass, 
when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and 
said, Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him. But 
the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his counte- 
nance, or on the height of his stature; . . . for man look- 
eth on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh 
on the heart.—i Sam. 16. 1-7. 


LEsson STORY 


HERE is a beautiful package in my hand. 
It is wrapped in nice-looking paper and is 
tied with a bit of colored string. It is a very 
neat package. I want to sell it to you to-day. 
How much will you give me for my package? 
How much am I bid? Who will give me a 
dollar? You want to know what is inside? 
Don’t bother about the inside; see how nice it 

83 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


looks outside. Who will give me fifty cents? 
Not anything? Well, suppose we do open it — 
and find what is inside. (Slowly open and crush 
mud in your fingers.) It is a valueless pack- 
age; it contains only a piece of mud. Even 
though it had a fine-looking covering there is 
nothing valuable within. 

Here is another package. It 1s wrapped in 
coarse brown wrapping-paper. How much will 
you give me for this one? One dollar? Well, 
we will open this one at once. Here it is; a 
diamond ring. This package would have been 
worth a considerable amount, wouldn’t it? 
Despite its crude exterior there was something 
valuable inside. 

Our lesson to-day is saying that the true 
worth of an individual is not to be measured by 
the kind of clothes he wears, nor by the amount 
of money he possesses. His shoes may be badly 
worn and his clothes be made of crude ma- 
terial, but that does not determine his value. 
In fact, he may have the dark-colored skin of 
the African or the yellow skin of the Chinese 
and still that would not determine his true 
worth. 

Our true worth in this world is measured 
in the beauty of character we are developing 
and the service we render to others. If we 


had happened to be born with a black or 
; 84 


_ THE COMING OF THE GREAT HELPER 


yellow skin, we would not want others to 
value us less because of that. We would want 
a chance to show what we could really do in life. 


God’s Message to Samuel 

Even the prophet Samuel had to learn this 
message. Saul had been appointed the first 
king of Israel. He proved to be a bad man 
and God sent Samuel to anoint the next king. 
He came to the village of Bethlehem, to the 
home of Jesse and the shepherd lad David. 
There he sanctified the older sons of Jesse 
and the father and then called them to join 
with him in sacrifice. 

The oldest son of Jesse was Eliab. He was 
a tall, strapping fellow, a real man of war, and 
looked as though he would make a fine leader. 
As soon as Samuel’s eyes fell upon him he 
said, “Ah, that is the man.” But God told 
him to wait a minute. He was looking only 
at the outward things and forgetting the true 
test of life. Then the voice said to Samuel, 
‘Look not on his countenance, or on the 
height of his stature; . . . for the Lord seeth 
not as man seeth; for man looketh on the out- 
ward appearance, but the Lord looketh on 
the heart.” 

What an opportunity for Eliab! He might 
have been a king in a great kingdom. But 

85 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


some sin of past life had blighted his character, 
and now he could not measure up at the test- 
ing time. Then came other sons of Jesse but 
they were also passed by. 

Finally David, the youngest son, was called 
from the pasture where he was caring for the 
sheep. His life had been pure and clean and 
strong. As he stood before the prophet in 
all his youthful vigor, the Lord said to Samuel, 
“Anomt him as my king.” His life had met 
the test. 


Application 

Let us remember this lesson as we associate 
with our companions. Sometimes we are 
tempted to think ourselves better than others. 
Remember that true worth is determined by 
the gold of character and not by the glitter 
of external factors. When the Great Helper 
came to live among men, He did not choose 
friends merely among the wise and great and 
wealthy. He found them everywhere and 
went wherever there was need. The Samaritan 
was as valuable to Him as the Jew. Let us 
also judge others by the beauty and nobility 
oi their character—‘“‘for the Lord looketh on 
the heart.” 


86 


THE COMING OF THE GREAT HELPER 
IN THE LAND OF ETERNAL SNOWS 


Purvoss: To show that we should help the less fortunate 
peoples of the world. 

Opsecr Mareriats: Box and background, white paper 
representing mountains, five Eskimo huts of pasteboard, 
animal-cracker dogs and reindeers, small sled and 
boat. Imitation Eskimo peoples; a piece of glass to 
represent water; imitation icebergs. 





Scripture: A vision appeared to Paul by night, the 
vision of a Macedonian standing and appealing to him 
with the words, “Cross to Macedonia and help us.” 
—Acts 16. 9, 10. 

Go io all the world and preach the gospel to every 
creature.—Mark 16. 15. 


LESSON STORY 


To-DAY we are going on a trip to the far 
northland where a people live who have not 
the blessings we enjoy. We take a boat at 


Seattle and sail northward, passing between 
87 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


mountains with snow-capped peaks, through 
the great ocean with icebergs, until we come 
to the land of eternal snow. 


The Land of the Eskimo 


What a strange country this is! There is 
not a tree nor shrub in sight. We see only the 
towering mountains and the ocean with its 
burden of ice. During the long winter night 
the spectral shadows of the northern lights 
dance across the sky. Sometimes a whale 
spouts or a walrus or seal shows dark against 
the snow. Beside these and the few peoples 
of the villages, all is one vast wilderness of 
white. 

Now we are to visit an Eskimo village. If 
they were staying long in this place, they 
would build their homes underground. But we 
will imagine they are the houses of snow. Here 
I have some cardboard huts which I will place 
to represent their houses. Here are some dogs. 
I want one of the children to come and place 
these dogs in line so we can hitch them to the 
sled. (Have child come and place them in 
the sand near the hut.) Here are some rein- 
deer. I want another child to come and place 
them in the background. This glass is the 
ocean; I will put this walrus out here on an 
ice pack. Here are the people; we can stand 

88 


THE COMING OF THE GREAT HELPER 


them near their houses, and here is their boat 
by the shore. Now our picture is completed. 


The Meager Life of the North 

Now, imagine that you are compelled to go 
up there to live. You come to one of the snow 
houses and crawl in on hands and knees. 
How different from your own home! You 
come up inside. How barren it looks! A 
bank of snow is covered over with skins. This 
serves as a bed and chair. A little lamp of 
stone is beside the entry way. Its wick is ot 
moss and the oil is from the walrus or the 
whale. There above your head is a frame on 
which damp clothes are hung to dry. That 
is about the equipment of the house. 

They invite you to dinner. You sit down 
on the floor or the snow bench, and they hand 
you a piece of fish or a slice of walrus or whale. 
You may be fortunate enough to have bear 
meat. That is all they have for dinner. When 
supper times comes, you have the same. Break- 
fast is served, again of fish or meat. You want 
some green foods or vegetables, but these are 
not to be had. 

You soon want something to read and ask 
for a book or magazine. They never heard 
of such a thing and don’t know what you 


mean. You want to go to the store to buy 
89 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


some needed articles, but they have no store. 
You long for some music, but they have no 
music. Then you think of all the comforts 
you had at home. 

One day the food supply gives out. The 
wolves find the cache of fish and eat them 
all. You begin to be hungry, but there is 
nothing to do but go out into the bitter cold 
and sit on the ice and fish. The men begin 
to hunt for walrus or seal. You go one day 
without food, then two days, then three days. 
You begin to be desperate. Finally you be- 
come ill and want a doctor. They send the 
witch doctor, who tries to cure you by his 
incantations. You vow that if you ever get 
well, you will gladly help these people whose 
opportunity is so limited. 


What the Missionaries Are Doing 


That is something of the picture of the land 
of eternal snows. These poor, unfortunate 
people have not had a chance. The mission- 
aries are now going to them with schools, 
hospitals, books, musie and the things of better 
living. Think of the good that can be done 
if we will help these people. 

Christmas season will soon be here. We 
want to share our fortunes with others. Let 
us bring a contribution to be sent to these 

90 


THE COMING OF THE GREAT HELPER 


far-away places of the world to help make the 
people there more happy. 


A LIGHT IN THE LAND OF DARKNESS 


Purpose: To show that we should help the missionaries 
in the foreign fields. 

Oxssecr Marerrats: Box and background, twigs for trees, 
circular cardboard representing cattle kraal, cardboard 
granaries, several huts of cardboard to be placed in a 
circle around the kraal. 





Scripture: The people that walked im darkness have 
seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the 
shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. ... 
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and 
the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his 
name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The 
mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of 
Peace.—Isa. 9. 2-6. P 


Lesson STORY 
(Have materials all set before telling story.) 
Lone years ago there lived in the land of 


Africa a little lad by the name of Kuduku. 
91 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


He was a cripple because when he was a baby 
his father had carelessly dropped him, causing 
his leg to be crooked. He lay on his back in 
the morning sunlight and watched the life of 
the village about him. The cattle were still 
in the cattle kraal in the center of the village. 
Outside of this stockade of posts were the 
granaries and the shelters where the girls and 
women were grinding millet and maize for the 
morning meal. 

AKuduku heard the grunting of a pig in his 


hut behind him. His mother had told him | 


to keep them out of the hut, so he crawled in 
through the low door and drove the intruder 
out. The smoke from the fire in the center 
made it difficult to see what was inside. But 
_ he knew that the trusty war-club of his father 
and his bows, together with the pots and med- 
ical herbs, were hanging from the pegs along 
the wall. These were-the only furnishings of 
the hut. 

As Kuduku crawled back into the sunlight, 
he little dreamed of the trouble that was soon 
to overtake them. Shortly his father fell 
sick with a fever. The witch doctor came and 
tried to drive away the evil spirits by beat- 
Ing upon drums. When the father grew worse 
and died they tried to find who had looked 
upon him with the evil eye. The lot fell upon 

92 


THE COMING OF THE GREAT HELPER 


Sinabe, a neighbor, who was driven from the 
village and told never to return. 

The loss of his father was soon followed by 
still greater trouble. As he lay before his hut 
one day he was startled by the appearance 
of strange men. They were whiter than any 
he had ever seen before. They rushed into the 
village and with their clubs began to strike 
all who came within range. Kuduku saw a 
man killed when he tried to defend himself. 
The terrible shriek of “slave trader’’ told him 
of the horror that was upon them. He knew 
that they would try to carry off all the strong 
men and women from the village and sell them 
in far-away lands. He saw them place a heavy 
iron chain about his mother’s neck and 
drive her along the road out of the village. 
That was the last Kuduku ever saw of his 
mother. 

These are some of the horrible conditions 
which existed in Africa a hundred years ago. 
But God was preparing a man who should 
bring light into this land of darkness. David 
Livingstone was soon to sail from his home in 
Scotland and work among the natives. He 
landed in southern Africa in 1841 and began 
learning the language. As soon as he could 
speak he struck northward into the interior 


and began to teach and preach and heal. As 
93 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


a doctor he was able to help their bodies while 
working for their souls. 

Year after year this valiant man of God 
labored for the welfare of the black men. He 
taught them to till their ground and to build 
their houses. He cured their diseases, and also 
told them about Jesus and the better way of 
living. He searched out tribes that were never 
known before. He discovered new lakes and 
rivers. In 1853 he started on an expedition 
across Central Africa through the trackless 
forest and jungle. He went through the home 
of the lion and elephant and rhinoceros, where 
there were venomous reptiles, and where num- 
bers of savage tribes lay in ambush for him 
and his party, and robbed them of their pro- 
visions. Thirty times he was attacked by 
malaria. The natives begged to return. But 
Livingstone said, “God helping me, I will go 
on.” After tremendous suffering they finally 
reached the coast. 

One day many years later while on one of 
his expeditions, Livingstone became too ill to 
go on or to talk. The next morning the natives 
found him on his knees by his bedside—dead 
in an attitude of prayer. He had brought the 
light to the land of darkness. Many other 
missionaries have gone to that land since then 
and are helping the natives to live the better life. 

94 


THE COMING OF THE GREAT HELPER 


Since it is so near the happy Christmas 
season, would it not be well to bring of our 
money for the support of these men and women 
who are sacrificing so much on the foreign field? 
Let us bring our offering next Sunday for the 
people who still dwell in the land of darkness. 


THE OTHER WISE MAN—A 
PANTOMIME 


Purpose: To show that the greatest service in life is 
helpfulness. 





TEN CHARACTERS 
Mary Three Wise Men 
Three Angels Three Shepherds 


The improvised stable can be made in the 


following way. Secure three posts about six 
95 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


feet high. Nail a cross piece at the bottom of 
each so as to make them stand erect. Set these 
in such a position as to have one at each corner 
of a triangle as shown in the diagram. Now 
nail a board from each one to the other so as to 
secure a strong framework. Lay other boards 
across these for the ceiling and cover it with a 
thick layer of straw. Have it such a height and 
size as to look in proportion for those who are 
seated in the audience. There are three chairs 
for the angels behind the manger and one for 
Mary. A manger can be made by taking a 
saw horse and turning it upside down. A 
slat across the top will hold the straw in. Fill 
it full of straw. If at night, place an electric 
bulb inside. 

The shepherds need a crook. Take a young 
sapling and bend the top over, then tie it there. 
The wise men need some form of gift’ to pre- 
sent. Small boxes in gilded paper will serve 
the purpose. 

Costumes. Simple costumes. The angels 
should be dressed in white with cardboard 
wings. Mary should also be in white. The 
shepherds should have knee trousers and a 
piece of skin or a gunnysack frayed out and 
thrown over the shoulders. The wise men 
may use bathrobes and turbans if nothing 
better is available. 

96 


THE COMING OF THE GREAT HELPER 


Method of Procedure. The audience becomes 
quiet. A pause. Mary enters alone and 
slowly makes her way to her position in the 
improvised stable. 

After another pause the three angels enter. 
They come to a position parallel with the 
manger and kneel. After bowing the head 
nearly to the floor, they slowly arise and take 
places behind Mary. 
| After another pause the shepherds enter. 
‘They come to position marked for shepherds. 
They kneel and bow. Then carefully lowering 
their staves they come to a seated position. 

Another pause. The three wise men enter 
and come to position marked for them. They 
kneel and bow, then also take a seated posi- 
tion. 

At this juncture the pastor or some other 
qualified person comes onto the platform and 
tells the story of “The Other Wise Man,” by 
Van Dyke. The story should be mastered so 
that it can be told effectively. 

At the close of the story the wise men are 
the first to move. They come to a kneeling 
position, bow and present their gifts. They 
rise and leave the stage as they have come. 
Next the shepherds come to kneeling position, 
bow, arise, and leave. Then the angels come 
around in front, form a semicircle and wait 

97 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


until Mary is in the center and in front of 
them. They all go out together. 

Suggestions. Several things should be con- 
sidered to make this pantomime most success- 
ful. Absolute quiet should be observed through- 
out. All persons should move slowly. Shep- 
herds, angels, and wise men should practice 
kneeling together. It is the most difficult part 
of the procedure. Let the person in the middle 
serve as pace-setter. First, place right foot 
behind left, then slowly go down until kneel- 
ing on right knee. Bring left knee down, 
then bow from the hips until the head is about 
a foot from the floor. Watch your neighbor so 
as to all work together. Finally all come up 
together. A little practice will make this work 
smoothly. 

Also be careful not to move during the tell- 
ing of the story. Any movement then detracts 
from the story. Get into a comfortable posi- 
tion before the speaker begins. Stay that way 
until he is through. 

Ii used at night, this service can be made 
more elaborate. Colored lights can be used 
effectively. Appropriate songs can precede the 
coming of each group. The DeMoley boys 
can suggest appropriate costumes for the wise 
men. An appropriate background can be pro- 
vided. Such a service will last an hour. 

98 


JANUARY 
NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS 


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THE LESSON FROM THE MIGHTY OAK 


Purrose: To show that we should resolve that this year 
we will overcome all difficulties. 
Osyect Mareriats: An acorn (picture of an acorn) and 
the picture of an oak tree. 
ScripturE: I can do all things through Christ which 
strengtheneth me.—Phil. 4. 13. 
Do not let evil get the better of you; get the better 
of evil by doing good.—Rom. 12. 21. 
Blessed is he who endures under trial; for when he 
has stood the test, he will gain the crown of life which 
is promised to all who love him.—James 1. 12. 


Lesson STORY 


Tuis is the beginning of the new year. Per- 
haps you have already made your New Year 
- resolutions. At all events, I want you to con- 
sider one with me to-day. It is that during 
this year you will overcome all obstacles. 

I hold in my hand an acorn (picture of an 
acorn). See how small it is. Probably not 
more than an inch long. It falls into a crevice 
in the mountainside and begs to grow. Year 
after year it climbs toward the clouds. Its 
branches spread far out over the rocky ledge 
and serve as a shelter for bird and beast. 
Finally the tiny acorn has developed into the 
giant oak 

101 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


Why Did the Tree Grow So Strong? 

We might ask why this tree became so 
strong. The other trees in the sheltered val- 
leys, which never felt the blast of winter nor 
the drought of summer, never became so strong. 
Why did the oak become strong? 


It Used Its Obstacles to Develop Strength 

The little tree knew how to use the diff- 
culties of its life as a source of strength. One 
day Mr. Rain came by and saw the slender 
sapling. “T’ll drown you out,” he cried. And 
with that he poured down a torrent of water 
upon the little tree. But the water only un- 
locked the food in the crevices of the rocks 
and the little tree grew the more. 

Then Mr. Sun looked down upon the moun- 
tainside and saw the struggling little tree. 
“Watch me dry him up,” he said and turned 
his hottest rays upon the tree. But the tree 
took the energy of the sun’s rays, and the 
sap from the roots and the brisk air of the 
mountain and welded them together to form 
his starch food. And the young sapling grew 
the more. 

Then the West Wind passed by. “T’'ll up- 
root that young oak, just watch me!” he cried. 
So he blew and blew until the tal] young tree 
bent almost to the ground. But the oak dug 

102 


NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS 


its roots deeper into the crannies of the rocks 
and built its fibers of tougher material. And 
the stalwart young tree grew the more. 

At length Old Winter came by. “Aha,” he 
cried with his frosty laugh, “here is a young 
oak who thinks he can live here on my moun- 
tainside. I'll freeze him out.” So he sent his 
snows and frost and covered the earth with a 
mantle of white. But the strong young oak 
drew all the precious nourishment from the 
leaves and branches and buried them deep in 
the roots under the coverlet of snow. Then 
it patiently waited for spring. And the mighty 
oak had become the monarch of the forest. 


The Lesson From the Oak 

From the oak we learn a most worth-while 
lesson. It took each and every obstacle that 
it met and made that obstacle serve for its own 
good. It grew stronger by overcoming diffi- 
culty. Each new hard task became but another 
stepping-stone to success. It developed the 
habit of mastery. 


Application 
Children, I want you to develop that habit 
of mastery this year. I want you to make 
this one of your New Year resolutions. You 
will meet difficulties and obstacles. In the 
103 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


past you may have let them master you. 
Now I want you to be master of them. 

In your school work there will be hard prob- 

lems to solve. What will you do when you 
meet a particularly hard one? Skip it? Give 
up? No, never. Go at it and plod on until 
you win. Remember that persistence and 
perseverance can overcome all obstacles. The 
great men of the world have seldom been 
geniuses but have been plodders. They refused 
to be defeated. They grew strong by over- 
coming obstacles. 

You will meet temptations this year. Even 
these may become a source of strength as you 
overcome them. You will want to control 
temper, to root out jealousy and revenge, to be- 
come too big to cheat or lie or steal, to be strong 
enough to say “No” when others would do 
wrong. I want you to win every moral battle. 
Develop the habit of mastery. 


THE UNNOTICED HEROES OF LIFE 


Purpose: To show that we should do our work faith- 
fully regardless of the notice or approval of others. 
Scriprure: Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give 

thee a crown of life—Rev. 2. 10. 
He who is faithful with a trifle is also faithful with a 
large trust, 
And he who is dishonest with a trifle is also dishonest 
with a large trust.—Luke 16. 10. 
104 


NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS 


And let us run with patience the race that is set 

before us.—Heb. 12. 2. 

Lesson Story 

Tuts is the second Sunday of the New Year 
and I wish to suggest another New Year 
resolution. Let us state it this way: let us 
do our work faithfully this year regardless of 
the notice or approval of others. 

Once in a while we read of some boy or 
girl who has done some heroic act and has 
received a just reward for it. He may have 
rescued a child from a burning building or ear- 
ried one out of danger’s way or saved one from 
drowning. People learn of it and reward him 
for his bravery. 

But not often do these opportunities come 
in life. We might live an entire lifetime and 
never have a chance to do one of these things. 
That does not mean, however, that we cannot 
enter the ranks of the heroes. The world is 
full of unnoticed heroes who quietly and faith- 
fully do their task and never receive public 
notice. They are as truly heroes as the one 
who is rewarded publicly for his deed. 


A True Hero Does Without Complaint the Task: 
He Dislikes 
Every one of us will have some task which 


he dislikes. It may be washing dishes. It 
105 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


may be getting a grammar lesson. It may be 
mowing the lawn or milking cows. This is 
the one task that takes the joy out of life. 
We ieel that we could be entirely happy if 
it were not for this one task. 

The real hero quickly and quietly goes at 
the task he dislikes. Without whining or com- 
plaining he rolls up his sleeves and begins it 
with a will. He has learned not to put off 
the disagreeable job until the last. It usually 
grows worse by being left. He attacks it 
first and sticks to it until it is done. To do 
without complaint the task which you dislike 
shows the stuff out of which heroes are made. 


The True Hero Does the Kindly Deeds Even if 
Unnoticed 

Some people are willing to do a helpful act 
if it will be praised, but not otherwise. The 
true hero cultivates the habit of helpfulness. 
It makes little difference to him whether others 
see or not. He goes about doing good for the 
joy of the doing. He lifts the little bird back 
onto the branch when it has fallen out of the 
nest. He closes the neighbors’ gate because 
something might go in and spoil their flowers. 
He kicks the stone out of the road because 
someone might receive a bump if it is left there. 
fie picks up a match because it might get 

106 


NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS 


lighted and cause a fire. He is alive and alert 
to do the things that ought to be done. 


Lhe True Hero Works Conscientiously at Any 
Task That Is Assigned 

The true hero believes in hard work faith- 
fully done. He does not slight his work be- 
cause no one is looking. He realizes that if 
he is careless and dishonest in little things, 
he may be in large ones. When sent into the 
garden to clean out the weeds he does it thor- 
oughly. He could easily do shoddy work and 
no one would know, but he refuses to be that 
sort of person. He is building the foundation 
of a successful life by doing honestly each 
task that is his to do. 


The Example of the Old Italian Sculptor 

There was once an old Italian sculptor who 
lived in the city of New York. He was not 
well known by many people, but those who 
knew him always felt assured that his work 
would be satisfactory. 

It so happened that a noted contractor was 
buildmg a large office building. He needed 
some marble frieze work for the doorways and 
decided to bring the work to the old sculptor. 
So he brought a piece of marble and the pat- 
tern and set the old man to work, never once 

107 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


telling what it was for. The man worked 
carefully until it was completed and then 
received another block and the pattern. Finally 
the contractor ceased to bring materials and 
the man knew his task was done. He had 
worked only on the smaller separate blocks 
and never saw the completed whole. 

One day he was walking down a noted thor- 
oughfare in the city when he noticed a new 
building. Coming closer he was struck by the 
beauty of the friezework above the entry. 
Then suddenly he saw his own work in its 
entirety. Reverently he took off his hat and 
said, “Thank God, I did my best.” 


A pplication 

We are working at the separate tasks day 
by day, a bit at a time. At the end of the 
year we will look back at the completed whole. 
May we have worked so well that we can look 


back and say, “Thank God, I did my best.” 


FINDING THE FOUR-LEAF CLOVER 


Purpose: To show that persistent effort is the true basis 
of success. 
Ossecr Mareriats: A blackboard and piece of crayon. 
ScripTuRE: Now after the death of Moses . . . the Lord 
spake unto Joshua . . . saying, Moses my servant is 
dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, 
108 





NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS 


and all this people, unto the land which I do give to 
them. . . . There shall not any man be able to stand 
before thee all the days of thy life. . . . Be strong and 
of a good courage. . . . Have not I commanded thee? 
Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither 
be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee 
whithersoever thou goest.—Josh. 1. 1-9. 


Lesson SToRY 

We have another New Year resolve for 
to-day. I know all of you have gone out 
sometimes to hunt for four-leaf clovers. Prob- 
ably all of you have found them. You enjoy 
looking for them, for you say they bring you 
good luck. 

I have here on the blackboard the four- 
leafed clover and will write in the letters 
L-U-C-K. That is what the four-leafed clover 
stands for. But I want to add another leaf. 
We will put it in here by the stem and add 
the letter “p”’ so that it now reads P-L-U-C-K. 
As you are preparing for life I want you to 
trust to pluck rather than to luck. 

Luck is a fool’s byword. It may help a 
person get a position but it is not the stuff 
that will keep it. He who trusts to luck will 
fail. Pluck is the persistence that wins. It 
knows no defeat. It is courage and grit and 
hard work. Pluck places us on the royal road 


to success. 
109 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


Caleb, the Plucky Man of Valor 

Long years ago a band of Israelites were 
searching for a promised land. The Lord com- 
manded that twelve spies be sent out to spy 
out the land. Among them was the courageous 
youth, Caleb. The spies went. They saw the 
fruitful valleys; they saw the mighty fast- 
nesses of the mountains. They also saw the 
Anakim, the giants. 


Report of the Spies 

When the men returned, ten of them said 
the country could not be taken; only two, 
Joshua and Caleb, had courage enough to 
believe they could possess it. That people 
never marched into the land of promise. They 
wandered about until a new generation had 
grown that had more faith and courage than 
they possessed. Because of the pluck and 
courage of Joshua and Caleb the Lord prom- 
ised them any tract of land they might choose 
as their inheritance. 


The Land Is Taken 

After many years of weary wandering the 
Israelites moved into their future home. They 
were able to conquer most of it, but the hill 
cities of the Anakim were always a source of 


trouble. These giants waited in their moun- 
110 


NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS 


tain retreats until the time of harvest, then 
made a foray mto the valley and took all the 
crops and returned to live comfortably until 
the next harvest. They were not conquered. 


Caleb Asks for His Inheritance 


At length Caleb came to the leaders and 
_ asked for his plot of ground. ‘You remember,” 
he said, “that I was promised any tract that 
I might choose for an inheritance.” 

They answered “‘Yes,” and supposed that he 
would take the most fruitful plain in all the 
country. But Caleb said, “Give me the hill 
of the Anakim.”’ 

The leaders looked at him in amazement. 
Would he choose that when he might have 
the best? He only replied, “Give me the hill 
of the Anakim.” So they gave it to him 
gladly and wished him Godspeed. 

The old warrior gathered his trusty fol- 
lowers around him. He told them of the hard 
task that awaited them. But they were enthu- 
siastic to go. They came to the hill of Hebron 
and waited for the dusk to fall. As the dark- 
ness gathered they knelt in prayer while their 
leader asked that they might have faith and 
courage to conquer. With the coming of dawn 
the city was theirs. Their plucky champion 
had led them again to victory. 

Hil 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


Application 

It was not luck that made Caleb the victor 
of many battles. It was his trust in God and 
in his own right arm. God is saying to us 
to-day as he said to Joshua in the Scripture 
lesson, “Be strong and very courageous.” 
Let us go out into this New Year with the 
quiet determination to master our difficulties 
and come off more than conqueror. For he 
who builds pluck into life is on the royal road 
to success. 


WHERE DUTY CALLS 


Purpose: To show that we should enlist in the service 
of Jesus Christ. 

Scripture: Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone 
wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, take up 
his cross, and so follow me; for whoever wants to save 
his life will lose it, and whoever loseth his life for m 
sake will find it.’—Matt. 16. 24, 25. 


Lesson Story 

A FEW years ago there lived in a quiet 
English village a farmer lad by the name of 
Henry Maclean. Although a hero at heart, 
he had lived an unnoticed life with his parents 
in the village. It so happened that the Boer 
War broke out about this time and the recruit- 
ing officers came to his village. Henry Maclean 


made his way to their office to enlist. 
112 


NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS 


He received the customary examination and 
passed successfully when the officer asked him 
the customary question, “Will you go where 
duty calls you?” The usual answer was, “Aye, 
aye, sit.” But Maclean gave the significant 
reply, “Aye, aye, sir; and farther.” 

The recording officer wrote the words down 
in his book and the incident was forgotten. 
The young man went with the others to train 
for service. 

It was weeks later during the siege of Lady- 
smith. The British forces had been hard 
pressed for many days by the enemy. During 
one of the days a small force of men had been 
sent out to reconnoiter. They were cut off 
by the enemy’s fire and most of them lost 
their lives. One of the beloved captains lay 
out there wounded and ready to die. A call 
came for volunteers who would go and bring 
him in. Henry Maclean stepped quietly from 
the ranks and volunteered to go. He made 
his way from the fortifications; he crept for- 
ward amid a rain of bullets; he found the 
captain and carried him carefully back .to his 
companions. Just as he was about to enter 
the lines again, a bullet passed through his 
heart. 

News of his heroic deed sped back to England. 


They looked up the record of his enlistment 
113 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


and found there the question and answer, “Will 
you go where duty calls you?” “Aye, aye, sir; 
and farther.” And now in his home village is 
a tablet raised to his memory with the officer’s 
question and his heroic response, “Aye, aye, sir; 
and farther.” 


Jesus Is Calling for Volunteers 

During the past weeks of the New Year we 
have been thinking of resolutions. The one 
for to-day is the most important and most 
serious of all. I hope every child of eleven 
or twelve years will consider the call of Jesus 
Christ to his life. 


The Cost of Enlistment 

Before we do enlist let us count the cost. 
Jesus wants us to have the best things in life. 
He will not “withhold any good thing” from 
us. He wants us to have the truest enjoy- 
ment, to go to places of real value, to see the 
worth-while things, to do the deeds that make 
for greatness. He wants us to make the most 
of life. 

He may also ask for sacrifice, for Christ 
calls us to do the hard things. No red-blooded 
boy or girl wishes to be called to do the easy 
things. He wants the challenge of the diffi- 
cult. Christ says we must be willing to deny 
self for the sake of others. 

114 


NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS 


You remember the story of the young man 
in Jesus’ time who lived in a home of culture 
and refinement. He was a young ruler and 
wanted to join the ranks of Jesus’ disciples. 
He came and asked what he must do to be- 
come a disciple. Jesus told him that he must 
be willing to do the hard things, to sacrifice 
self for the cause, to labor for the good of his 
fellows. But when this youth saw that disciple- 
ship cost something, he was not willing to pay 
the price. He turned away and we never hear 
of him again. 

Jesus is asking absolute loyalty to his cause. 
No one would want to be like Judas, who be- 
trayed his best friend, or like Peter when he 
followed afar off. We want to live up to the 
teachings of Jesus and build helpfulness and 
honesty and truthfulness into all of our lives. 


Appeal 

At Easter time we are going to have De- 
cision Day. I hope many of you will be pre- 
paring to make a definite stand for Jesus 
Christ at that time. Let us become friends 
for life with this our ideal Hero. 


To the Pastor or Teacher 
For the next two months the pastor and 
teachers should see each boy and girl who is 


over twelve years of age and ask them to 
115 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


make a decision of their life to Christ. A 
thoroughgoing program of personal interviews 
should be arranged. Let every one be spoken 
to before Easter time. 


LOOKING THROUGH BLUE GLASSES 


Purpose: To show that we should cultivate the habit of 
cheerfulness. 

Ossect Martertats: Pieces of red, yellow, green, and 
blue glass. 

Scripture: I am come that they might have life [happi- 
ness], and that they might have it more abundantly. 
—John 10. 10. 

Lesson Story 

To-pay we can make still another resolu- 
tion. Let us resolve that we will be cheerful 
and happy this year regardless of what hap- 
pens. Let us resolve to cultivate the happy 
habit. 

Here are several pieces of colored glass. I 
want one of the children to come here and 
help me with our experiment. I will close one 
of his eyes and then ask him to tell us the 
color of the world as I place a piece of glass 
before the other eye. What color do you see 
now? Red. And now? Green. And still 
again? Blue. What is the reason that things 
look so strange? Is there anything .wrong 
with the world? No, the trouble is with us. 
We are looking through colored glasses. 

116 


NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS 


Blue Monday Folks 

Have you ever heard of “a blue Monday’? 
Some children get up on Monday so cross and 
contrary that they are very hard to get along 
with. They are poor company for themselves 
or anybody else. 

Here is one who is constantly complaining. 
He forgets the Scout law which says a “Scout 
is cheerful,” and makes the home miserable 
with his complaint. Something is wrong with 
the food. His problems are too hard, the 
teacher is no good, it is too hot or too cold. 
He whines and complains about what is done 
or what is not done. Everything is out of 
joint. And all the time the trouble is with 
himself. He is viewing the world through blue 
glasses. 

Here is another chap who sulks. If he 
can’t have his own way, he refuses to play at 
all. He goes off into a corner and grouches 
about it. I once knew a boy who wanted a 
baseball team. He got the fellows together, 
and because he was not elected captain he 
refused to play in the team. He was a poor 
Scout. 


How Others Have Met Difficulty With a Smile 
The one who whines and complains, the one 
who sulks and grouches, the one who frets and 
117 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


nags about things, should see how some people 
have met real trouble in life. 

Paul and Silas were once in prison. They 
had been beaten until their backs were bleed- 
ing and bruised. Then they were thrown into 
the imner keep, or dungeon, their arms and 
legs were stretched in the stocks, and they 
were left for the night. There was great suf- 
fering in that prison life. But did they com- 
plain? Did they whine because of hardships 
to be endured? No, for we learn that about 
midnight they began to sing and have a praise 
service. They were cultivating the habit of 
cheerfulness. 

Here is a man whom every boy loves because 
of a story he wrote. It is Robert Louis Steven- 
son, and the book is Treasure Island. Prob- 
ably few boys know that when Stevenson was 
writing this story he was so ill that he could 
not get up out of bed. For many years he 
was in poor health, but he never complained. 
On the contrary he kept cheerful and wrote 
cheerful stories to help others. 

Here is a young lady who is deaf, dumb, and 
blind. She never sees the sunset, she never 
hears the song of the birds, she is shut into 
her world of darkness and silence. But with 
all those handicaps Helen Keller refused to 


complain. She decided to make her life use- 
118 


NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS 


ful and to be happy. First she learned to 
read. This was done through the fingers. 
Then she decided to do a much harder thing, 
to talk. After years of effort she succeeded. 
Then she was not satisfied. She wanted to go 
to college. Few books were written for her 
in the Braille system. Her own teacher went 
along and read to her by means of the fingers, 
and thus they mastered the many bocks to 
be read in college. While others were out 
playing and enjoying the day, Helen Keller 
could have been found in her room with her 
teacher, painfully going over the books. Surely 
she had cause to complain about hard tasks 
in school. But she preferred to live happily. 
And at length she graduated from college with 
high honors. 


Applreation 

These are a few examples of how people 
have met the truly hard tasks of life with a 
smile. If they could be cheerful in the face 
of such difficulties, should we not be ashamed 
to complain about what we meet? Let us 
cultivate the happy habit this year. A good 
Scout is cheerful. 


119 





FEBRUARY 
JESUS, OUR IDEAL HERO 


mi he y 





LINCOLN, THE BELOVED 


Pcrpose: To show how Lincoln lived the teachings of 
Jesus. 

Scripture: And Samuel died; and all the Israelites were 
gathered together, and lamented him, and buried him 
in his house at Ramah.—i Sam. 25. 1. 

“Ye shall know them by their fruits.” —Matf. 7. 16. 


Lesson Story 
To-pay we have met to do homage to the 
memory of our beloved Lincoln. All over 
this nation people will be thinking of the man 
who by sheer strength of character rose from 
a log cabin in Kentucky to the White House. 
He it was who lived the virtues we have been 
studying about—courage and honesty, kindli- 
ness and honor. For this reason he has become 

the hero of every boy and girl. 


Lancoln, the Youth of Principle 

Like the mighty oak, the boy Lincoln grew 
strong by overcoming obstacles. Think of the 
hardships he had to meet. His work in the 
field and forest developed a powerful body. 
Books were few, but he mastered them. He 
spent his evenings reading by the light of the 
fireplace and ciphering with charcoal on the 
shovel. By constant effort he trained and 
developed both mind and body. 


123 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


More than that, Lincoln realized that he 
‘was the weaver of his character. He per- 
sistently refused to allow any habit to get 
started in his life which would later be harm- 
ful. How well we love the story of the young 
clerk who, when he had unwittingly given 
short weight to a woman, a shortage which 
represented three cents, walked several miles 
to repay the money. He would not allow even 
the appearance of evil in his life. 


Lincoln, the Youth of Kindly Deeds 

As a child about the home, he began prac- 
ticing his ideal of helpfulness. When asked 
to do any chore he did it gladly and without 
complaint. He also watched for opportunities 
to do more than was asked of him. His step- 
mother many years later said of him, “Abe 
was a good boy, and I can say what scarcely 
one woman—a mother—can say in a thousand. 
Abe never refused, in fact or appearance, to 
do anything I requested of him....He was 
a dutiful son to me always.” 

All during his later life he continued his 
habit of kindliness. At one time a stranger 
came to his community. The Clary Grove 
boys, a band of ruffians, usually “initiated” 
any person who came among them. Lincoln 


saw that their treatment would be too severe 
124 


JESUS, OUR IDEAL HERO 


for this elderly man, for they were going to 
toss him in a blanket. He interfered with | 
their “fun,’”’ and when they made some remarks 
he challenged any one of the group to harm 
the man. No one wished to test the strength 
of his strong right arm. They learned to 
respect this champion of the rights of others. 

Lincoln could not stand to see dumb animals 
harmed or abused. One time when a boy, he 
saw some wild turkeys near his house. He 
shot one with his father’s rifle. Then he felt 
sorry for having taken the life of this creature. 
The kindly heart of the boy could not stand for 
harming of God’s creature. Like a true Scout 
he was “kind to dumb animals.”’ 


Lancoln, the Greatheart 

When finally he was elected to the White 
House, he showed his true greatness as never 
before. He was then able to keep a pledge 
he had made many years ago when a youth. 
You will recall the time when he went down 
the Mississippi on a flatboat and for the first 
time saw a slave market. Fathers were being 
separated from their families and mothers from 
their children. The injustice of it stung him 
to the heart. “Come away, boys,” he said, 
and then added, “If I ever get a chance to 


hit that thing, I'll hit it hard.’”’ Now he was 
125 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


President and he remembered the hardships 
of the Negro. He wrote the Emancipation 
Proclamation which liberated four million 
slaves. 

Lincoln, the Greatheart, was always think- 
ing about the welfare of others. Fathers came 
to tell him of their troubles. Mothers besought 
him to spare the lives of their sons, who had 
fallen asleep on sentry duty. Children con- 
fided to him their difficulties. Always he tried 
to bring cheer and happiness into their lives. 

To-day he lies buried in Springfield, Iinois. 
His tomb has become a national shrine, and 
thousands go to stand beside the final resting- 
place of the one who lived so nobly and well. 


JESUS DOES HIS GOOD TURN 


Purpose: To show that we should love the great Ideal 
Hero. 

Scripture: And it came to pass... that he passed 
through the midst of Samaria. . . . And as he entered 
into a certain village, there met him ten men that 
were lepers, which stood afar off: and they lifted up 
their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on 
us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go 
show yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, 
that, as they went, they were cleansed. And ‘one of 
them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, 
and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on 
his face at his feet, giving him thanks. . . . And he said 

126 


JESUS, OUR IDEAL HERO 


unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee 
whole.—Luke 17. 11-19. 


Lesson Story 


Tue evening sun was flooding the valley of 
Samaria with crimson twilight as Simeon 
reached the brow of Mount Ebal. In the 
distance loomed Mount Gerizim with its temple 
on the summit. Even now the evening sac- 
rifice was being offered and the temple choir 
was chanting the psalms of David. Below 
the temple on the rugged mountain side, the 
city of Sychar straggled along the slopes. And 
farther below in the valley stood his own little 
home. 

Simeon usually paused at the summit of the 
mountain to enjoy the view which spread out 
before him. But to-night he strode hastily 
forward toward his home. Thrusting open the 
door, he entered. His wife and little daughter 
came forward to greet him as usual. 

“Esther,” he said in a hushed tone, “a great 
misfortune has overtaken our friend Abraham. 
To-day while working in the fields he noticed 
a strange color on his hands and when he 
went to the priest, he was told that it was 
leprosy. Now he must stay at the leper colony 
and never come home again.” 

The mother and the little daughter, Ruth, 


looked at their father in dumb horror. The 
127 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


word “leprosy” struck terror to their hearts. 
They saw the picture of a colony where poor, 
helpless victims wandered about crying, “Un- 
clean, unclean.” Their first thought was that 
Simeon might catch the dread disease. 

“It’s all right, Esther,” said the fiche 
trying to appear brave. “I am strong and 
well and will not take the disease.” But 
despite his words of assurance a cloud hung 
over this happy family. He had used the tools 
which the leper had used and thus had been 
exposed. 

It was not long before their worst fears were 
realized. Strange blotches appeared on his 
hands. The priest pronounced him unclean. 
Saying a sad farewell to his wife and child, he 
went slowly down the road toward the colony 
of death. 

The wife and child continued to manage the 
farm. Each day they took a package of food 
and placed it on a rock not far from the place 
where they knew he must be. When they had 
gone, Simeon came and took the food. 

A year passed by, and then another. A 
great change had come over the man. His 
own family would scarcely have known him. 
He was emaciated and disfigured. 

One day he sat upon a rock and wished 
that he might die. He was valueless and a 

128 


JESUS, OUR IDEAL HERO 


burden to those he loved. While thus musing 
he heard a voice callmg, “Father, father.” 
Looking up, he saw his daughter Ruth rushing 
into the camp. Yn alarm he arose and started 
toward her. ‘‘Father,”? she cried, ‘“‘come 
quick; Jesus is passing by. He will heal you. 
Come.” The child in her eagerness grasped 
him by the hand and fairly dragged him 
toward the highway. Others hearing her words 
followed. 

As speedily as they could travel, they came 
to a spot where Jesus must go by. Even now 
they could see a cloud of dust in the distance 
and knew that he was coming. When within 
callmg distance they cried, “Jesus, Master, 
have mercy on us; take pity on us.” Jesus 
looked upon them and his heart was moved 
with compassion. “Go and show yourselves 
to the priest,” he said in gentle tones. 

Ruth again grasped her father by the hand, 
and they started toward the city of Sychar. 
But before they had gone far a strange trans- 
formation began to take place. The flesh 
began to come back. A glow of health began 
to creep throughout Simeon’s entire frame. 
With wondering eyes he watched the change. 
When he realized that he was healed, he gave 
a shout of joy. Together father and child 
turned back to where Jesus was coming and 

129 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


threw themselves at his feet. The Master 
quickly raised them up and placing his hands 
upon them said, “Arise, go thy way: thy faith 
hath made thee whole.” 

Once again the Master had brought happi- 
ness into a sorrowing home. 


THE FRIEND OF CHILDREN 


Purpose: To show that we may be friends of Jesus. 

ScriptuRE: Now people even brought their infants for 
him to touch them; when the disciples noticed it they 
checked them, but Jesus called for the infants. “Let. 
the children come to me,” he said, “do not stop them: 

the Realm of God belongs to such as these.” —Luke 18. 

15-17. 

LEsson STORY 

“FATHER, may I go with you to the syna- 
gogue?” asked Ruth as her father left their 
happy home in the ancient city of Capernaum. 
“Yes, daughter,’ said the father with a smile. 
So Jairus, the ruler of the Jewish synagogue, 
and his golden-haired daughter set out for the 
stately synagogue on the hill. 

How bright and cheery the city looked on 
this happy spring morning! The cobblestones 
of the street and the gray walls of houses 
still sparkled with the dew of the morning. 
Looking far ahead they could catch a glimpse 
of the blue waters of Galilee. As they 

130 


JESUS, OUR IDEAL HERO 


approached the market place, they saw how 
the merchants had already spread out their 
wares for the customers. 

But presently their path was blocked by a 
throng. Loud cries came to their ears, “Jesus 
of Nazareth, he is coming.” Almost before 
they knew it they were in the center of the 
crowd. Jesus paused for a moment and per- 
formed one of his wonderful miracles before 
their very eyes. A man, lame for many years, 
had cried out to be healed. Jesus healed the 
man and they heard his prayer, and then the 
crowd had passed on. 

“What a wonderful man he is, father!” said 
Ruth, thoughtfully, as they proceeded on their 
way. “How many kindly deeds he does! I 
wish I might do more kindly deeds.” 

“I think you now do many deeds of help- 
fulness, little daughter,” answered the father, 
looking down at his only child. 

“Only wait until I am twelve years old, then 
I will do lots more,” she said, gayly. “And, 
father, that is not far off, for I will be twelve 
this fall.” And Ruth began to tell of all the 
things she would do when at length she had 
passed her twelfth birthday. 

Little did she know of the days that were 
ahead. Little did the father dream that his 
beloved child would soon be attacked by an 

131 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


incurable malady. But it was even so. Be- 
fore many days the child began to complain 
of feeling tired. Week by week she grew less 
strong. Day by day the color faded from her 
cheek. Soon she could no longer romp and 
play with her companions. 

Finally came the day when the child had to 
remain in bed. Jairus remained with her, for 
he feared to leave lest she should die during 
his absence. The physicians had given up 
all hope. They were helpless before this name- 
less malady. 

As the father sat there wondering what 
might be done she whispered, “Father, if Jesus 
were here——’’ and her voice died out in a 
sigh. The father awoke with a start. He had 
forgotten the Great Healer who had so often 
done the kindly deeds in the: streets of 
Capernaum. 

Quickly he arose from the bedside. He went 
out into the street. Where could Jesus be 
found? Not knowing, he started toward the 
market place, for there they might tell him 
of the whereabouts of the man. But even on 
his way he heard the tumult of the throng. 
Jesus was in their midst. 

He thrust his way in among them, brushing 
them right and left. He came to where Jesus 
stood and fell at his feet, saying: “Master, 

132 


JESUS, OUR IDEAL HERO 


my little daughter is at home lying at the 
point of death. Can’t you come and do some- 
thing for her?’ Jesus at once consented, and 
they started on their way. 

The throng made way for the beloved ruler 
of the temple, but as they were proceeding a 
messenger came saying that the child had 
already died and his mission was_ useless. 
When Jesus heard the words he said: “Have 
no fear. Only believe, and she will be restored 
to life.” 

The grief-stricken father continued toward 
his home. Already the friends of the neigh- 
borhood had gathered and were weeping with 
the mother over the loss of her only child. 
Jesus pushed his way in and said, “Leave off 
wailing; for she is not dead, but asleep.” 
Then with the father and mother he entered 
the room where the child lay. Taking her by 
the hand he said, “Little darling, awake.” 
Then they watched breathlessly as the strength 
returned to the child’s body and she opened 
her eyes. Soon she was walking about as usual. 

As Jesus was about to leave the home, he 
placed his hand on her head and said in his 
quiet way, “Little darling, you shall still do 
many kindly deeds.” And from that hour 
Ruth and the Master pledged themselves as 
partners in kindness. 

133 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 
PARTNERS IN HELPFULNESS 


Purpose: To show that we should be active partners 
with Jesus Christ in doing helpful deeds. 
Scripture: Then shall the King say to those on his 
right, ““Come, you whom my Father has blessed, come 
into your inheritance in the realm prepared for you 
from the foundation of the world. 
For I was hungry and you fed me, 
I was thirsty and you gave me drink, 

I was a stranger and you entertained me, 
I was unclothed and you clothed me, 

I was ill and you looked after me, 
I was in prison and you visited me.” 

Then the just will answer, 

“Lord, when did we see you hungry and fed you? or 
thirsty and gave youdrink? . . .”” The King will answer 
them, “TI tell you truly, insofar as you did it to one of 
these brothers of mine, even to the least of them, you 
did it to me.” —Matt. 25. 34-37; 40, 41. 


LESSON STORY 


Tue three friends, Amos, John, and Benja- 
min, burst out of the synagogue school in 
Bethsaida with a shout of joy. All day long 
they had been studying the Laws of Moses, 
but now they were free to spend the rest of 
the day as they chose. They had planned a 
walk along the shore of Galilee and were eager > 
to be on their way. 

They dashed down the street toward the 
home of Amos, where their fishing kits had 


been left. “I think we ought to go where the 
134 


JESUS, OUR IDEAL HERO 


river empties into the lake,” said John as they 
ran; “there is always good fishing there.” 
Benjamin argued for the flat rock, and at 
length it was decided to go to the usual fish- 
ing place at the flat rock. There they would 
build a fire and cook their fish—if they caught 
any. 

Amos’ mother saw the boys as they entered 
the house. As they rushed about the place 
gathermg up their belongings she slipped a 
lunch into Amos’ pocket. “Sometimes fish 
don’t bite well,’ she said, smiling as she re- 
called the tired, hungry boys who sometimes 
came straggling home. 

The boys quickly made their way to the 
flat rock and gathered the driftwood for the 
fire. Soon it was snapping and crackling on 
the sand. Then they went to fishing. 

“Have you heard anything more about 
Jesus of Nazareth?” asked John after a long 
period of silence. 

“Yes, he was in Capernaum not long ago,” 
replied Amos. “I heard father saying he 
thought Jesus would be here soon. He was 
moving this way with his disciples.” 

“He healed my uncle in Capernaum,” said 
Benjamin, earnestly. ‘We were all so happy, 
for now he can help father with the nets. 


And he used to suffer so much.” 
135 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


Again the conversation lagged as the boys 
continued to fish. After a bit Amos suggested 
that they race to the top of a nearby hill. 
They were off like the wind and soon stood 
panting on its summit. 

“What is that over there in the valley?” 
asked Amos as his gaze wandered northward. 
“It looks like people, yes, and thousands of 
them.” 

“It is people,” said John. “It must be 
Jesus and the multitude. Let’s go and see.” 

The boys struck off down the hillside and 
across the grassy valley toward the place where 
the multitude was gathered. In the center 
was the familiar figure of Jesus and about him, 
his disciples. They edged their way through 
the throng until they were close to him. There 
they looked and listened. 

Before long one of the disciples came to 
Jesus and began to talk in an undertone. 
They could hear little of what was said, but 
heard Jesus’ response, “Give ye them to eat.” 
The disciples looked surprised and then said 
in a louder tone, “But, Master, we have noth- 


ing, and the little money we have would not — 


begin to feed so many.” 

Amos crowded close to another of the dis- 
ciples. “I have some loaves and fishes. You 
can have them if you wish,” he said, eagerly. 

136 


JESUS, OUR IDEAL HERO 


Jesus called the lad to him. Then he took 
the loaves and fishes and blessed them and 
gave to the disciples and they to the multitude. 
Turning to the boy he said, “Son, to-day you 
have been a partner in helpfulness with me. 
Would you wish to remain a partner for life?” 
Amos could say nothing, but the answering 
look in his eye plainly said “Yes.’’ He thereby 
pledged himself a partner with Jesus for life. 


137 








MARCH 
MAKING THE GREAT DECISION 


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WORMS FOR LARK FEATHERS 


Purpose: To show that we may take Jesus Christ as our 
helper in life. 
Scripture: Regard with horror what is evil; cling to 

what is right.—Rom. 1. 9. 

Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. 
—Matt. 5. 8. 

Holy Father, keep them by the power of thy Name 
which thou hast given me, that they may be one as 
we are one. .. . I pray not that thou wilt take them 
out of the world, but that thou wilt keep them from 
the evil one.—John 17. 11, 12; 15, 16. 

Lesson STORY 

From the land of France there comes to us 
an ancient legend concerning the lark. Of all 
the birds of field or forest the lark sings the 
most beautifully. With the first rosy flush 
of the dawn or during the heat of the noon- 
day sun, he may be heard far above the clouds 
pouring out his heart in rapturous melody. 
So high he goes that his form is entirely lost 
to sight from the earth below, but his presence 
is made known by the warbling notes which 
come floating downward. 

Upon a certain day a lark sprang from his 
nest among the leafy branches and _ started 
toward the blue above. He had gone but a 
short way when he heard a strange call from 

141 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


the earth. It was the cry of a street vender 
calling, ““Worms for lark feathers, worms for 
lark feathers.” The lark was curious to see 
this unusual man who would give his worms 
for the feathers of a lark, but being now high 
in the air he continued his flight. 

On the following day the lark had only 
begun to soar when he heard again the call, 
“Worms for lark feathers, worms for lark 
feathers.” This time curiosity got the better 
of him and he dropped downward to the earth. 
As he came near, the man said, “Are you 
hungry? I will give you a choice worm and in 
return will ask only one small feather.”’ The 
lark gave a twitter of amusement. One feather 
meant nothing to him and the worms did look 
tempting. So he came and sat on the edge of 
the vender’s basket. He selected the largest 
worm he could find and allowed the vender 
to pull out a small feather from his wing. 
Then springing upward he mounted toward 
the ethereal blue. 

For many days the lark heard the call of the 
vender. At times he would come down to 
earth and exchange his feather for food, at 
others he remained in the dizzy heights and 
flooded the world with melody. 

Then came a day when the lark became 
weary. “Why should I stay up here all alone 

142 


MAKING THE GREAT DECISION 


and sing,” he said, “when I might go down 
to earth and enjoy the food of the vender? 
His price is but a single feather and the worms 
are delicious.” He sank quickly toward the 
earth and found the vender in the street. 

“I am weary of the clouds,” said the lark. 
“I would exchange ten of my feathers this 
time.” Then he sat upon the basket of the 
vender and enjoyed his feast while the old man 
removed ten feathers from his wings. When 
he had finished, the lark sprang upward as 
usual when lo, he sank to the earth with a 
moan. His wings would not support his 
weight. No longer could he fly upward. No 
longer could he climb to the clouds and shower 
the world with melody. He had sold his price- 
less gift for worms. 


Application 

Boys and girls, this lesson confronts us! with 
a most serious thought. How are we to guard 
that most priceless treasure which God has 
intrusted to us? How are we to retain the 
purity of soul which we had as children? We 
come from the hands of our Creator spotless 
and pure. As we grow older, we begin to meet 
temptations. We see and hear things that 
are evil, perhaps we begin to have unkind 
and impure thoughts. The chains of bad 

143 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


habit may begin to bind us down. We may 
allow sin to creep into our lives. We are in 
danger of losing our priceless gift. 

There is only one way to live life at its best 
and that is by taking Jesus Christ as our 
personal Friend and Guide He alone can 
help us to overcome the temptations of life. 
He can guard us from evil. 

The day of decision will soon be here. Let 
each of us then make a public declaration of 
our purpose to take him as our Friend for life. 


BORN TO BE KINGS 


Purpose: To show that we may live kingly lives. 

Scripture: The God who made the world and all things 
in it, he, as Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell 
in shrmes that are made by human hands; he is not 
served by human hands as if he needed anything, for 
it is he who gives life and breath and all things to all 
men. . . . Though indeed he is close to each one of us, 
for it is m him that we live and move and exist—as 
some of your own poets have said, “We too belong to 
his race.”—Acts 17. 24-26, 27, 28. 


LEesson Story 


Many years ago the people of France lived 
under a cruel king who made their lives bitter 
with bondage. At length they revolted and 
having stormed the palace took Louis, his 
wife, and their young son captives. Then 
loading them into a crude cart, they started 

144 


MAKING THE GREAT DECISION 


with them toward the guillotine. On the way 
one member of the howling mob thought of 
a new form of punishment. Pointing to the 
child he cried, “Give the boy to Baucaire.” 
The cry was taken up by others of the crowd. 
Baucaire was the most wicked person in France 
and what they were asking was that the boy 
should be trained in like wickedness. 

The child was lifted from the wagon and 
given to Baucaire, who took him home. It 
is said, however, that whenever he was urged 
to do some evil deed, the lad would square 
his shoulders and say, “I will not, for I was 
born to be a king.” 


Application 

There is a valuable lesson in this story for 
us. We are born to be kings and queens of the 
earth. We are all children of the Great All- 
Father, who is Lord .of all. He is watching 
to see whether we live worthy of our privilege. 
Now at this time of decision he is wondering 
whether we will take the road of selfishness or 
the road of helpfulness. 


The Story of Shylock 
I want to tell you of one man who chose 
the road of selfishness. His name was Shy- 


lock, and he lived many years ago in Venice. 
145 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


As a youth he was like many of you, but he 
refused to do kindly deeds and think kindly 
thoughts until his life became hardened and 
embittered and thoroughly selfish. His only 
concern was to gain wealth for himself regard- 
less of the welfare of others. 

In that city lived Antonio, another money 
lender, whom Shylock hated because of his 
kindness. At one time Antonio came to the 
Jew and borrowed money with the under- 
standing that if he could not pay back at a 
certain time, he would give a pound of flesh 
to the Jew. Thus the Jew planned to be rid 
of his enemy. The day came and Antonio 
could not pay. The Jew demanded his pound 
of flesh. 

The next scene is laid in a courtroom of 
Venice. The Jew arrives with his scales and a 
sharp knife. The judge takes his place. 
Antonio is there expecting to die. They ask 
the Jew to have mercy. He will not. They 
offer to pay the money, but he refuses to accept 
their proposition. He will have his pound of 
flesh. Then Portia, the lawyer, turned the 
tables on him. She showed that he had con- 
spired against a citizen of Venice; that all his 
money is forfeited to the state, that his very 
life is at the mercy of the judge. *Tis then the 
judge asks, “Art thou contented, Jew?” 

146 


MAKING THE GREAT DECISION 


The head of the old man sinks on his staff, 
and as he slowly moves from the court he 
answers, “I am content.” 

Here is the life of one who was born to be 
a king but who failed to take the right road 
at the time of decision. He lived a selfish life 
and came to the end miserable and broken. 
Who would wish to be a Shylock? 


The Example of Paul 

Now let us view the life of another man, 
the doughty little champion, Paul. He comes 
to the time of decision. He decides to follow 
Christ and the road of helpfulness. For years 
he labors for the welfare of others, suffering 
untold hardships and difficulty. But he comes 
to the end of his life and looks back. With 
a shout of triumph like the athlete in the 
games he cries, “I have fought a good fight, 
I have finished my course, I have kept the 
faith.” That was the way he felt at the close 
of his life. There were no regrets for him. 
Being born a king, he lived kingly. 


Appeal 
Children, we are born to be kings. If we 
choose the road of selfishness, we fail. If we 
choose, rather, to take Jesus as our com- 
panion and live a life of helpfulness, we suc- 
ceed. Let us consecrate our lives to him. 
; 147 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 
MAKING THE GREAT DECISION 


Purpose: That you take Jesus Christ as your personal 
Saviour. 

ScripruRE: On going outside after this he noticed a 
taxgatherer called Levi sitting at the tax-office and 
said to him, “Follow me’’; he rose, left everything and 
followed him.—Luke 5. 27, 28. 


LESSON STORY 


Bors and girls, our friend Jesus Christ is 
standing here to-day asking us what we pro- 
pose to do with our lives. We have but one 
life to live. We all want to make a success 
of it. There is no one of us who would def- 
initely strike out to make a failure. Jesus is 
anxious that we make the best use of our — 
opportunities. How are you going to respond 
to the call of Christ to your heart? 

I want you to consider this matter carefully 
and seriously. It is for you to decide. No one 
can do it for you. Jesus says, “Behold [ stand 
at the door and knock.” He will never compel 
you to become a Christian. You must open 
that door to him if it is ever opened, for the 
latch is on the inside. Your permanent suc- | 
cess will depend on how you answer to the 
appeal of Christ. 

He is calling you to a life of helpfulness. 
Is there anyone who would refuse such a call? 
If you knew where you could do some deed 

148 


MAKING THE GREAT DECISION 


of kindness you would gladly go and do it. 
That was the sort of life that he lived while 
here on earth. Day after day, he spent his 
time in doing deeds of kindness. Like a good 
leader he went about with his group of fol- 
lowers showing them how heroes should live. 
He is asking that you join his company and 
devote your life to kindly service. 

He is calling you to a life of heroism and 
unselfishness. The real boy and girl loves the 
challenge of hard things. The real thrill of 
life comes from overcoming the big obstacles 
that stand in our path. Jesus is challenging 
you to become giant souls by meeting and 
overcoming great obstacles. It may be here 
at home that your life will be spent. It may 
be that he will lead you to other fields of 
service. Picture again that lonely pioneer, 
Livingstone, in the heart of darkest Africa. 
Day after day, month after month, year after 
year, this heroic man toiled and sacrificed for 
the dusky natives. One day they found him 
in prayer by his cot—praying for the welfare 
of Africa. He had given his life as a “living 
sacrifice’ that they might know of Christ. 
His was a life of sacrifice. 

Jesus is offering you the best and finest 





1 Or take some other character for the purpose of illustration, such as 
Lord Shaftesbury, Martin Luther or Francis Asbury. 
149 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


things in life. He is never satisfied that you 
have less than the best. He has said of his 
children that the biggest things, the noblest 
things, the best things alone are to be their 
portion. When he asks us to give up any- 
thing, it is only because it is depriving us of 
something more worth while. Surely we want 
to build only the best into life. 

Suppose, on the other hand, that we fail to 
accept the call of Christ. What may be the 
consequences? We are saying that we are 
content with the poorer things of life. Who 
can tell where such a course will lead us? A 
rich young ruler came to Jesus once and asked 
that he might become a disciple. Jesus loved 
him, for he was a youth of culture and refine- 
ment. Then he showed him the fine oppor- 
tunities of service and fellowship in his com- 
pany, but the young man was afraid. He 
turned away and we never hear of him again. 
Think of what he might have become if he 
had been willing to consecrate his entire self 
to Jesus. His money might have helped the 
poor and needy ones. His learning might have 
made him a leader among the band and one 
of the greatest influences in all world history. 
But he turned away and lost the greatest 
opportunity of his life. We cannot afford to 


choose less than the best. 
150 


MAKING THE GREAT DECISION 


Christ is standing here hoping that you will 
take him as your personal friend and Saviour 
through life. There will be many times in 
life when you will need his help and guidance. 
Will you not say to yourself, “I gladly accept 
Jesus as my Saviour and friend for life’? When 
you have carefully and seriously made such 
a statement, you have made the great decision. 


151 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 
FOLLOWERS OF THE RISEN KING 


For the child of eleven or twelve who is 
uniting with the church, this Easter Sunday 
should represent the most significant day of 
his life. He is at a most impressionable period. 
He is accepting Jesus Christ in all seriousness. 
The pastor must not allow this occasion to 
become a careless formula. He should make 
it so impressive that the child will never for- 
get his obligation to the church nor the vows 
he has taken. The entire service should com- 
bine beauty, dignity, and impressiveness. 


GENERAL SUGGESTIONS 


1. Select a central theme for the entire serv- 
ice. Suppose “The Risen King” be chosen as 
the central idea. The whole service, songs, 
Psalter, Scripture, prayer, and sermon, should 
center around this single idea. 

2. The church should have appropriate dec- 
orations. The occasion is worthy of the best 
efforts of both pastor and people. A large 
white cross standing on the pulpit platform 
becomes a beautiful focal point for the service. 

3. Secure the best music the community affords. 
Appropriate music, either vocal or instrumental, 
adds greatly to the beauty of the service. 

4. A baptismal service sometimes must pre- 
cede the reception into membership. If others 

152 


MAKING THE GREAT DECISION 


are to assist, they should know exactly what 
is expected of them, so that the program may 
go smoothly. 

5. The reception into membership is the cul- 
mination of months of effort. Since September 
this day has been looked forward to as the 
goal of our labor. The pastor must decide 
how he can make the occasion the most im- 
pressive. If the candidates sit together and 
come forward after their names are read, there 
will be less confusion. 

6. The pastor will probably want to preach 
a short sermon. His message should be in har- 
mony with the central theme. Usually brevity 
is desirable. 

7. The Communion Service might well stand 
as the: climax of the morniug. As members 
new and old unite in partaking of the elements 
there is opportunity for a reconsecration on 
the part of all. If others are to assist in the 
Communion Service, they should know in 
advance exactly what is expected of them so 
that there will be no confusion or hesitancy. 

Each pastor must build his program for his 
needs. Let the day stand in the mind of the 
child as the Great Decision Day on which he 
publicly confessed Christ before men. Let the 
service be characterized by beauty, dignity, 


and impressiveness. 
153 





APRIL 


LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE 





LOYAL FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST 


Purpose: To show that we should be loyal to Christ. 

Scripture: To this very hour we hunger and thirst, we 
are ill-clad and knocked about, we are waifs, we work 
hard for our living; when reviled, we bless; when 
persecuted, we put up with it; when defamed, we try 
to conciliate.—1 Cor. 4. 11-13. 


LESSON STORY 


Not many years ago there lived in a Chinese 
mission school a boy by the name of Ching. 
This lad, along with two hundred others, was 
preparing himself for a life of usefulness in his 
home country. The chief missionary sent out 
a petition to the boys one day, asking them to 
consecrate their lives to some form of mission- 
ary work after they had graduated. He knew 
that this would be a great financial loss to 
them, for the government was paying high 
wages to the graduates from the schools. 
What was his surprise then when he found 
that practically all of the boys had signed the 
petition. 

Later, seeing the boy Ching going by, he 
called him in and asked why he had signed 
the petition. The boy looked the teacher 
squarely in the eyes and gave his answer. 
“Teacher,” he said, “not many years ago my 

157 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


parents along with the Christians were im- 
prisoned in the compound at the time of the 
Boxer uprising. For several days they were 
able to hold out, but finally the compound was 
stormed and captured. The Boxers led the 
captives outside the wall and said to them, 
‘As you walk through the gate you will find 
an idol. Take a pinch of incense and drop it 
at the feet of the idol and you may go free. 
Otherwise step over to the block and have 
your head severed from the body.’ Teacher,” 
said the boy earnestly, “my parents and all 
the Christians walked straight by that idol 
and lost their lives. They were willing to die 
for Christ. Should I not be willing to live 
for him?” 

These words of a Chinese Christian lad come 
to us with a ringing challenge. We have made 
the great decision of life and have pledged 
our allegiance to Jesus Christ. We are gomg 
to meet temptations and may be scoffed at 
because of our loyalty to him. But, like the 
lad Ching, if others are willing to die for Christ 
surely we can live for him. We cannot prove — 
traitor to our ideals. 

Let us pause a moment and see the cost that 
some have paid because they would not prove 
untrue to Christ. In the days long gone by, 


Nero, the brutal king of Rome, set fire to the 
158 


LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE 


city and accused the Christians of doing it. 
Then he began a horrible persecution as a 
penalty for their supposed crime. We see 
the arena filled with thousands of spectators. 
We hear the blare of trumpets and from an 
underground passage come men, women and 
children dressed in the skins of animals. Then 
another door opens and from the cages come 
the most ferocious beasts of the jungle. These 
early heroes gave their lives rather than prove 
traitor to Christ. 

Let us view another hero of that early day. 
It is the doughty little champion, Paul. We 
will never have to go through the persecution 
that he bore because we have pledged our 
allegiance to Christ. In one chapter he tells 
us of what it cost him to be a true disciple. 
He was cast into prison. He was attacked by 
bandits in the mountain passes, and by rob- 
bers in the cities. The Romans beat him with 
rods and the Jews on several occasions almost 
killed him with their whips called cat-o’-nine- 
tails. In one city the people dragged him out 
of the city gates and stoned him until they 
thought that he was dead. Hungry and home- 
Jess and cold, he wandered throughout the 
country of Asia Minor doing his deeds of 
kindness and heroism. Why did he suffer 


such cruel persecution? Because he would not 
159 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


prove traitor to Christ. He would have died 
rather than be untrue to his Master. 

As beginning Christians you may have to 
meet opposition or temptation because of your 
pledge to Christ. At that moment remember 
what the heroes of the past have suffered 
rather than prove untrue. Live such a life 
of purity and honesty and kindliness that you 
can say as Paul did, “I have fought a good 
fight, I have finished my course, I have kept 
the faith.” In the hour of temptation breathe 
a prayer to Christ that you may prove a loyal 
follower of his. 


FRIENDSHIP WITH GOD 
Purpose: To show that we should cultivate the habit of 
daily prayer. . 
ScrrptuRE: Pray without ceasing.—i Thess. 5. 17. 
The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avail- 
eth much.—James 65. 16. 
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall 
find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.— Matt. 7.7, 
LESSON STORY 
Last Sunday we studied one of the chief 
characteristics of a Christian, namely, that of 
loyalty. To-day let us think of another. If 
we turn to the life of our Ideal Hero, Jesus, 
we will see how important he considered this 
factor. Jesus loved to talk to God, his Father. 
He talked with him as naturally as we talk 
160 


LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE 


to our earthly parents. Since we are the loyal 
followers of Christ, he wishes us to cultivate 
this habit of prayer. 

For Christ, prayer was a daily occurrence. 
No matter what the circumstances, he talked 
matters over with God. We remember that 
he began his active ministry only after forty 
days of prayer and meditation. From that 
time forward, whether in joy or sorrow, in 
exaltation or in seeming defeat, he took all 
things to God in prayer. 

We remember the occasion when he had fed 
the five thousand. For days he had been 
teaching and healing the sick. He was weary 
and worn out with the labor of it. Note what 
he did as a means of rest. “Immediately after- 
ward he made the disciples go on board the 
boat, and cross to the opposite shore, leaving 
him to dismiss the people. When he had done 
this, he climbed the hill to pray in solitude. 
Night came on and he was there alone.” Jesus 
found rest in prayer. 

Before making any great decision, Jesus 
talked with his Father. On another occasion 
he wished to select some of his followers to 
become his disciples. This was an important 
choice. These men were the ones who would 
carry on his work after he had gone. As a 
preparation for this choice the Bible says that 

161 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


about that time he went on one occasion into 
the hill country to pray, and he remained all 
night in prayer to God. “When it was day, 
he called unto him his disciples: and of them 
he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles.” 
Jesus asked guidance in the times of decision. 

In the moment of seeming defeat Jesus 
turned to God for strength and help. It was 
in the Garden of Gethsemane. He knew that 
he would soon be condemned to death. He 
realized that one of his own disciples was to 
betray him and that the others would leave 
him and flee. There was only one source of 
help and that was in prayer to his Father. 

Thus we see that our Master led a life of 
constant prayer and communion. In times of 
joy, in times of weariness, in times of decision, 
in times of sorrow he talked matters over with 
God. 

Jesus would have us follow his example 
in this respect. He wants us to become friends 
with our heavenly Father. We will have 
times of joy and sorrow, of victory and defeat, 
when we will want to ask God for strength - 
and comfort and guidance. Just as we would 
go to our earthly parents so we can go to God. 

One of the beautiful habits which we ought 
to cultivate is that of the morning watch. 


When we awake each day, we can turn to some 
162 


LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE 


passage of Scripture in God’s Holy Word and 
there read his message to us. Then we can 
say a simple prayer to him, thanking him for 
his kindness and care and asking for strength 
and guidance for the coming day. We can 
spend a moment of time considering where 
we failed to measure up to our ideal yester- 
day, and ask God to make us to become “more 
than conquerors” for to-day. Also during the 
day we can voice a prayer at any moment if 
we are meeting temptation or difficulty. Such 
a prayer will be heard and answered by our 
Father in heaven. 

Jesus loved to pray. He loved to talk 
matters over with God. He wishes us to live 
a life of communion as he did. He wants us 
to develop this friendship with God. In the 
words of Paul may we “pray without ceasing.” 


SHARING WITH CHRIST 


Purpose: To show that we should share our money with 
Christ. 
Scripture: And he looked up, and saw the rich men 
casting their gifts into the treasury. And he saw also 
a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites. 
And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor 
widow hath cast in more than they all: for all these 
have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of 
God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living 
that she had.—Luke 21. 1-4. 
163 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


LEsson STORY 

Ir was a beautiful day in the city of Jeru- 
salem. Jesus and his disciples had gone into 
the Temple at the hour of prayer and were 
now standing by the treasury, watching the 
crowds surge through the Temple court. 

They had not stood there long when they 
saw a poor woman approaching the treasury. 
Her clothes were threadbare and had been 
neatly patched many times. There was a look 
about the face that showed she had known 
want and hardship. As she approached the 
treasury box, she carefully took out two coins 
worth about one eighth of a cent each. She 
dropped them in the treasury, stood for a 
moment reverently in prayer and moved on. 
In a few minutes a rich man pushed his way 
up to the treasury and carelessly threw down 
what with us would amount to several dollars. 
With a shrug of indifference he too passed on. 

Jesus called the attention of his disciples to 
this incident and said, “In truth I tell you 
that this widow, so poor, has thrown in more 
than any of them. For from what they could 
well spare they have all of them contributed 
to the offerings, but she in her need has thrown 
in all that she had to live on.” 

Jesus here paid a beautiful tribute to the 


self-sacrifice of a poor woman. She did not 
164 


LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE 


have much to give, only one fourth of a cent 
in our money, but she gave it willingly and 
gladly. She wanted to share her hard-earned 
money with God. 

This high tribute of the Christ to the self- 
sacrifice of his followers is just as true to-day 
as it was in the days long gone by. We may 
not have much to give, perhaps only one cent 
or five cents, but if we share with him in the 
spirit of gladness and sacrifice, we will receive 
the same high praise. It is not alone the 
amount of the gift that counts, but, rather, 
the spirit with which we give. 

The ancient Jews had a worthwhile custom 
of sharing with God. They set aside one cent 
out of every ten as belonging to him. They 
felt that for the blessings which they had 
received they should repay him with the tenth. 
When the time of harvest came one measure 
of grain out of every ten was set aside as the 
property of God. 

Such a plan would be a good one for the 
young Christian to adopt. When we have 
earned ten cents we can gladly put one penny 
aside for the cause of Christ. . 

Think for a moment of the help that our 
money can do in making this world a better 
place to live in. Suppose that you had hap- 
pened to be born a cripple in the land of Africa. 

165 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


There are no doctors around to make you well. 
You are living a life of pain and misery. Then 
imagine that some children in America gave 
of their money and made it possible for the 
missionary doctors to come to your village 
and heal you. Would you be thankful for 
the sacrifice of the children in far-away Amer- 
ica? Surely you would. Let us remember 
that there are thousands in the land of Africa 
who are in need of a doctor’s care. Your 
money will make it possible for doctors to 
go to them. 

Think of the little children in foreign lands 
who are hungry. Their little pinched faces 
tell of hunger which has never been satisfied. 
Think of little babies without the care of 
parents. Imagine that they were your little 
brothers or sisters and think how you would 
feel. You would appreciate the kindness of 
others who would help them. The third law 
of the Scout is that he is helpful. 

Christ has called us to share our money 
with him. As loyal followers we will gladly 
give of what we have. Perhaps we may care 
to set aside one cent in ten for his work. What- 
ever we give, let us do it with the spirit of 
sacrifice and devotion to his cause. 

In the poem of “The Vision of Sir Launfal’’ 
we remember the lines, 

166 


LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE 


“Not what we give but what we share, 
For the gift without the giver is bare; 
Who gives himself with his alms feeds three— 
Himself, his hungering neighbor, and Me.” 


IN THE TEMPLE OF GOD 


Purpose: To show that we should be loyal to our church. 

Scripture: Now his parents went to Jerusalem every 
year at the feast of the passover. And when he was 
twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the 
custom of the feast. And when they had fulfilled the 
days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind 
in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew 
not of it. ... And when they saw him, they were 
amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast 
thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have 
sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them, How 
is it that ye sought me? Wist ye not that I must be 
about my Father’s business?—Luke 2. 41-50. 


Lisson STORY 

Wuen Jesus was twelve years old he was 
taken by his parents to the city of Jerusalem, 
there to celebrate the feast of the Passover. 
It was a happy occasion for the young lad as 
he made his way along the Jordan River, and 
up through the rocky pass toward the City 
of God. Long had he dreamed of the day 
when he should enter through the gates of 
the Temple and there worship in his Father’s 
house. His wish was soon to be fulfilled. 


The band of pilgrims entered the city and 
167 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


wound their way along the narrow cobble- 
stoned streets until they reached the Temple 
on the heights. How beautiful it looked, all 
white and gold, with the smoke of incense 
mounting heavenward! The trumpets of the 
priests summoned the people to worship. The 
chant of the choir swelled into a mighty chorus 
as they sang the songs of David. Reverently 
the boy bowed his head as the priest offered 
prayer. At last he was in the City of God 
and in his Father’s house. 

The time of departure came all too soon. 
Mary and Joseph supposed that he was with 
their party and started toward home. That 
night they found that he was not along. They 
returned and sought for him everywhere. On 
the third day they found him in the Temple 
among the doctors. When Mary spoke to 
him his answer was: “How is it that ye sought 
me? Wist ye not that I must be in my Father’s 
house?” Jesus, the boy of twelve, loved the 
house of God. 

From this incident in the life of the boy 
Jesus we turn to the later years. He is a man 
now of thirty years. It is the Sabbath day 
and he is in his home town of Nazareth. The 
Bible says that he went into the synagogue on 
the Sabbath day ‘as was his custom.” Here 
we see how the habit of loyalty to the church 

168 


LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE 


which was begun as a child had. been con- 
tinued into manhood. 

There is a valuable lesson in this incident 
for us. As Christians we might well follow 
the example of our Ideal Hero and show our 
loyalty by regular church attendance. 

Let us pause for a moment and see the 
loyalty and devotion of our forefathers as they 
labored to make our church the great body 
it is. Let us consider some of our church 
heroes. (Select those of your own denom- 
ination.) Think of the work of Bishop Asbury 
as he labored in the New England States in 
the early days. He traveled thousands of 
miles a year on horseback, he slept in crude 
log cabins when the snow sprinkled his scanty 
coverlet, he toiled among the mountains of 
the South under the blistering sun. Though 
frail in body he gave his life for the building 
up of Methodism in the early day. 

Think of such men as Peter Cartwright and 
his labors in Illinois. These pioneer pastors 
went out onto the plains and built up churches 
or held services in homes and schoolhouses in 
order to bring the message of Christ to the 
people. They have shown their loyalty by 
their deeds of valor. 

Then let us consider the missionaries of 


to-day. These people are now on the foreign 
169 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


fields working for the kingdom of Christ. They 
left parents and friends, they gave up home 
and the advantages of our country, they sac- 
tificed all hope of wealth and have gone to 
the out-of-the-way places of the earth to preach 
the gospel. 

To-day while we worship, some missionary 
will gather a group of dusky natives in the 
jungles of India and speak to them about 
Christ. In China they are singing the songs 
we have sung and will repeat together the 
Lord’s Prayer as we have repeated it. Why? 
Because some loyal missionary is there labor- 
ing among them. In darkest Africa your 
missionary and mine will stand among the 
mud huts of a native village and tell them 
the truths of God. These persons have proved 
their loyalty and devotion by their deeds. 

In like manner may we show our loyalty. 
One of the ways in which we can do this will 
be by following the example of our Ideal Hero 
and being regularly in the Lord’s house on 
the Sabbath day. 


A LAMP TO OUR FEET 


Purpose: To show that we should read our Bible each day. 
Scripture: Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a 
light unto my path.—Psa. 119. 105. 
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy 
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LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE 


mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, 
that thou mayest observe to do according to all that 
is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way 
prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.— 
Josh. 1. 8. 

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not 
sin against thee.—Psa. 119. 11. 


LEsson STORY 


A TRAVELER was once going through the 
mountain country in the Adirondacks. Night 
came on and he wandered off the trail. The 
man was unfamiliar with the lay of the land 
and was about to give up in despair. Then 
he saw a light coming toward him. A farmer 
with a lantern was walking along the path. 
The man quickly went toward the light and 
together they made their way down the path 
in safety. The light showed the way for their 
feet. 

The psalmist had a similar thought in mind 
when he said, “Thy word is a lamp unto my 
feet, and a light unto my path.” He wanted 
us to think of life as a journey along an un- 
familiar path. We do not see the way ahead. 
We cannot know what will happen to-morrow, 
nor even an hour hence. We are surrounded 
by temptations Hardship meets us at every 
turn. We want to live noble lives and to 


avoid the pitfalls that lurk along the way. 
171 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


The Bible is to become a lamp to our feet 
and a light to our path in guiding us along 
the road of noble living. 

Every boy and girl loves to read about the 
great heroes of the past whose lives are told 
in this book, the Bible. We admire the cour- 
age of the young man, David, as he slays a 
giant and frees his land from the army of the 
invaders. We thrill with pleasure as we recall 
the loyalty of Daniel when he was told not 
to pray to his God and chose the lions’ den 
rather than disloyalty. Then there was Joseph, 
who was sold into slavery by his brothers but 
showed them such kindness when later they 
were in need. In the New Testament we see 
Paul in prison and in shipwreck, we read of 
him being stoned and beaten with the cat- 
o’-nine-tails, of his hunger and perils among 
robbers and false brethren and his own people. 
God’s Holy Word tells us how these heroes of 
the past were more than conquerors. 

It also tells us about our Ideal Hero, Jesus. 
We see the young lad as a carpenter with 
Joseph in the village of Nazareth. We follow — 
him later in his life of helpfulness and kind- 
ness. Such a life he lived Not a day passed 
by that was not crowded with deeds of mercy 
to the needy. He healed the sick, he brought 


sight to the blind, the deaf were made to hear 
172 


LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE 


and the lame to walk. Lepers found the flesh 
coming back to their bleached bones, fathers 
and mothers had their afflicted children re- 
stored to them well again. Helpful and brave 
and kind, he set an example as to how we 
should live. 

It is also in the New Testament that he 
teaches us his great truths. Take your New 
Testament and read those wonderful words 
in the fifth and sixth and seventh chapters of 
Matthew. What a summary of noble living 
we have there! Nowhere else in all written 
books can we find a more significant and com- 
plete code of rules for heroic living. 

Thus we see that the Bible is to become our 
light to show us the path as we journey through 
life. It gives us the example of those great 
men who lived in the long ago, how they over- 
came their difficulties. It gives us the teach- 
ings of Jesus as he told heroes how to live. 
It tells us of a great future which lies before 
us and for which we should prepare. God’s 
Word should become our constant guide and 
help in the time of trouble. 

I hope you will all read this Book of books 
until you are thoroughly familiar with it. 
Have a Bible of your own. Keep it near your 
bed and when you awake in the morning, 
start the day by reading a few passages. 

173 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


Have a pencil and underline the verses that 
you like best. Say them over until you know 
them by heart. The last verse of our Scripture 
lesson said, “Thy word have I hid in mine 
heart, that I might not sin against thee.” 
Evidently, the psalmist had found these verses 
a source of help against temptation. Even 
Jesus met evil by quoting Scripture. 

As Christians just starting out in the way, 
let us read God’s Word much. Let us mem- 
orize those wonderful passages which appeal 
to us. Let us follow the teachings of our 
Master, Jesus Christ, and live as the heroes 
of the past lived. 


174 


MAY 


LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE 
(Continued) 





THE MAN WHO FOLLOWED AFAR OFF 

Purposs: To show that we should always keep near to 
Christ. 

ScriptuRE: Then Jesus said to them, You will all be 
disconcerted over me to-night, for it is written, I will 
strike at the shepherd and the sheep of the flock will 
be scattered. But after my rising I will precede you 
to Galilee. Peter answered, Supposing they are all 
disconcerted over you, I will not be disconcerted. 
Jesus said to him, I tell you truly, you will dis- 
own me three times this very night, before the cock 
crows. Peter said to him, Even though I have to die 
with you, I will never disown you.—WMait. 26. 31-35. 

Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled. ... 
But Peter followed him afar off.—Matt. 26. 56-58. 


LESSON STORY 


THE two brothers, Andrew and Peter, stood 
on the shore of the Sea of Galilee and gazed 
out over the rolling waters. The wind had 
risen and the waves were flecked with foam. 

“I don’t believe there is much use of going 
out to-day,” said Peter as he watched the 
white caps. 

“No,” answered Andrew, “it is too rough. 
We might better stay here and repair our 
nets. Some of them need it badly.” 

So the fishermen sat down on the sandy 

177 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


beach and began catching up the broken 
threads in their nets. 

They had not worked long when Peter sud- 
denly exclaimed, “Look, isn’t that the Christ 
whom our beloved pastor, John the Baptist, 
spoke of the other day?” 

“Tt surely looks like him,” answered Andrew. 
“T hope he comes this way. I love to hear 
him speak and to see the kindly look on his 
face as he helps the needy ones. Do you know, 
Peter, I would be glad to follow him all the 
rest of my life if he would take me as a dis- 
ciple. I would like to do something for him.” 

The two men worked on in silence. The 
approaching company came closer and closer 
until they reached the spot where the fisher- 
men were seated. Jesus stood silent for a 
moment and then said, “Come, and I will 
make you fishers of men.” Gladly the two 
brothers made the great decision and followed 
him. 

This day marked a great change in the life 
of Peter. He became the constant friend and 
companion of Jesus. Together with the other 
disciples they traveled back and forth through- 
out the country doing deeds of kindness. 
Foremost among them was Peter. He was a 
ready speaker and was the spokesman of the — 
group. On the several occasions when Christ 

178 


LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE 


spoke of their loyalty to himself and his cause 
Peter pledged his allegiance in no uncertain 
terms. Though all others should prove un- 
faithful, he would always be loyal. 

Then came the week which was to prove 
their loyalty. It was the Passover week in 
Jerusalem. Jesus and the twelve made their 
way to that city and were received with shouts 
of joy by the multitude. On Thursday night 
they celebrated the Passover feast together in 
an upper room. ‘Then the Christ led them 
forth out of the city to the Mount of Olives. 
Here in a garden called Gethsemane he began 
telling them of the suffering he must bear 
and the death he would die. Again Peter 
pledged his allegiance to Christ. ‘Lord,’ he 
said, “though all forsake thee, I will never 
forsake thee. I am willing to go with thee 
to prison and to death.” Jesus told him of 
the test that was coming and that he would 
prove untrue. ‘To this Peter responded, “Even 
though I must die with you I will never dis- 
own you.” 

And then came the test. The next thing 
Peter remembered was seeing lights flashing 
far down in the valley. He could hear the 
clanking of swords and shields and knew that 
a band of soldiers were approaching. They 
wound their way up through the olive trees 

179 


/ 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


until they came to the place where Jesus and 
the disciples were. 

Peter realized that the supreme moment 
had come. He knew that his Master was in 
danger. But fear entered his heart. He saw 
the soldiers surround Jesus and lead him away. 
All the other disciples forsook him and fled. 
And Peter followed afar off. 


JESUS SPEAKS TO A DISHEARTENED 
SOLDIER 


Purrose: To show that if at any time we should prove 
untrue to Christ we should reaffirm our allegiance to 
him. 

ScriptuRE: So when they had dined, Jesus saith to 
Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more 
than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou know- 
est that I love thee. ... He said unto him, Follow 
me.—John 21. 15-19. 


Lesson STORY 

THERE was a most despairing look on the 
face of Peter as he stood outside of the home 
of his friend John Mark, in the city of Jeru- 
salem. He was thinking over the events of 
the past weeks. What a sad failure he had 
made of it all! How untrue to Jesus he had 
been in the time of need! He again heard his 
words, “Though all the world forsake thee, 


I will never forsake thee,” and then he thought 
180 


LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE 


with shame of the time he had followed afar 
off and later had thrice denied the Christ. 
And now Jesus had been crucified. The cause 
was lost. 

Peter came to a decision. He would return 
to Bethsaida on the Sea of Galilee and take 
up his old occupation as fisherman. At least 
he could do that successfully. When the 
other disciples came down from the upper 
room, he told them of his decision. They de- 
cided to go with him, and that night the little 
group struck out for their former home. 

It was with a feeling of mingled joy and 
sadness that they approached the Sea of 
Galilee. Here they had played as children 
and worked as young men. Many happy 
memories clustered about the little lake. And 
now, with their great disappointment fresh in 
their minds, they were returning to take up 
their work with the nets and the boats again. 

Their parents and friends welcomed them 
home. After their greeting they donned their 
old fisher clothes and went down to the lake 
to prepare for the night. The boats were over- 
hauled, the nets patched and mended, and the 
little dip nets were made ready. 

As the evening shadows fell they put out 
into the lake. It was a beautiful night. The 


moon laid a silver path across the sparkling 
181 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


waters. The men began their work with 
heavy hearts. Hour after hour they worked, 
letting down the deep net and rowing from 
one place to another. But despite their best 
efforts they were unsuccessful. Three o’clock 
came and the tired fishermen had caught 
nothing. Then it reached four o’clock. They 
were ready to quit and go home. 

The fishermen began rowing toward their 
landing, using the dip net as they went. When 
they were not a great way from land they 
saw a figure standing on the shore. In the 
gray dawn of the morning they could not dis- 
tinguish his face, but they heard his voice 
asking, “Children, have you taken anything?” 
They answered him that they had caught 
nothing. Again they heard the voice, ‘‘Cast 
the deep-sea net on the right side of the boat 
and you will take a draught.’”’ When they had 
let down the big net they caught a multitude 
of fish. Then the disciples knew that it was 
Jesus. 

' When they landed they found a fire of coals 
and fish and bread prepared for the morning 
meal. “Come and have breakfast,” said Jesus. 
After asking a Father’s blessing on the food 
they partook together. 

Peter had remained silent and in the back- 
ground during this meal. He felt ashamed of 

182 


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LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE 


his past and did not wish to meet the eyes of 
the Master. But after they had finished break- 
fast Jesus turned squarely upon him and said, 
“Peter, do you love me?’ Peter answered, 
“Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee.” 
Thrice the question was asked and _ thrice 
answered, and then Jesus said, “Follow me.” 
And as the first faint gleams of dawn were 
breaking over the Galilean hills Peter again 
pledged his allegiance to Christ. 

Never again was he to prove untrue to his 
vow. He was cast into prison, he was perse- 
cuted, he suffered dangers and hardships and 
difficulties without number, but he stood true 
to his word. 


CHRISTIAN OVERCOMES GIANT 
DESPAIR 


Purprose: To show that we should trust God for strength 
in the time of difficulty. 

Scripture: Let us hold the hope we avow without waver- 
ing, for we can rely upon him who gave us the promises. 
—Heb. 10. 23. 

Blessed is he who endures under trial; for when he 
has stood the test, he will gain the crown of life which 
is promised to all who love him.—James 1. 12. 

I can do all things through Christ which strength- 
eneth me.—Phil. 4. 13. 


LESSON STORY 


In the life of many beginning Christians 
183 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


there comes a time when further effort seems 
useless. They have aimed to do some worthy 
task—to improve the League, to help in the 
Sunday school, to overcome some temptation. 
Possibly, like Peter, they have not lived up 
to their ideal. In this moment they feel like 
giving up. 

God wishes us to look to him for strength 
in such moments of discouragement. He has 
given us many promises of aid in his Holy 
Bible and wants us to put him to the test. 
Like Paul, we can learn to say, “I can do all 
things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” 

Let us recall the story of Christian in The 
Pilgrim’s Progress as he used the key of Prom- 
ise to unlock the dungeon in the castle of 
Giant Despair. 

Christian had set out for the Celestial City. 
He had not gone far when he fell into the 
Slough of Despond. Here he floundered for 
a long time, but by persistent effort he gained 
the firm ground on the other side. 

The burden of sm grew more and more 
heavy as he climbed the mountain. At length 
he reached a cross and the burden fell away. 
Three Shining Ones stepped forth and saluted 
him with the words, “Peace be to thee.” 

The first one said to him, “I give thee a 
pure heart.” 

184 


LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE 


The second one stripped him of his rags 
and clothed him in beautiful garments. 

The third one set a mark upon his forehead 
and gave him a little book with a seal upon it. 
“Keep this book with care,” he said, “and 
read it often. Within is the key of Promise 
which will unlock the doors of difficulty.” 
So the Shining Ones left him, and Christian 
went on his way rejoicing. 

After many days of travel he passed 
the House Beautiful and came up with Hope- 
ful. Together they journeyed onward. They 
reached a wonderful valley on the King’s 
Highway where the flowers bloomed m abun- 
dance and fruit hung heavy from the trees. 
A stile led over the fence, and the view there 
seemed even more entrancing. 

““Come, let us cross the stile and journey on 
the other side,” said Christian. So they 
turned away from the main highway and 
started down the bypath. 

At first the way was easy to follow. But 
before going far it became rugged and steep. 
The shades of night began to fall and a storm 
arose. In the darkness they groped their way 
forward. 

“Oh, that we had kept to the main highway,” 
groaned Hopeful. 

‘Tet us turn back and try to find the King’s 

185 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


Highway without further delay,” said Christian 
in alarm. So they tried to retrace their steps. 
At last, weary and exhausted, they lay down 
and fell asleep. They were aroused the next 
morning by a big, surly voice shouting as them, 
“Wake up there, you. Get up, I tell you.” 

They sprang to their feet and confronted 
Giant Despair. 

“Who are you and what do you mean by 
trespassing on my property?” he growled. 

They told him that they were pilgrims 
who had lost their way and were sleeping 
there for the night. But the giant said they 
had broken his shrubbery and trespassed on 
his land, so he drove them to his huge castle 
and locked them in the dungeon. There he 
tortured them for three days. They received 
neither food nor drink. They were beaten 
each day with his cruel club. At last they 
were ready to give up in despair. 

Then Christian remembered the key of 
Promise which the Shining Ones had given 
him. He sprang to his feet shouting, “How 
foolish I have been. I have a key here in my 
bosom which will unlock the doors of the 
Castle of Doubt. Come, let us be going.” 

Applying the key, they were soon liberated 
from their prison and resumed their journey 
toward the Celestial City. 

186 


LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE 


(Adapted from Bunyan’s The Pulgrim’s 
Progress.) 


THE CANDLE UNDER THE BUSHEL 


Purrose: To show that we should be an influence for 
good among our companions. 

Oxssecr Mareriats: A candle, a match, and a small 
basket or pail. | 

Scripture: You are the light of the world. A town on 
the top of a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do men light 
a lamp to put it under a bowl; they put it on a stand 
and it shines for all in the house. So your light is to 
shine before men, that they may see the good you do 
and glorify your Father in heaven. . . .—Mait. 5. 14-16. 


LESSON STORY 


I noup in my hand a lighted candle. It is 
just such a candle as our pioneer forefathers 
used in their homes to give light. They did 
not have lamps nor electric lights as we do 
and had to depend on these for light. 

Suppose we could turn back a hundred years 
and come to one of their rude log cabins on a 
dark night. We enter the door with them and 
wait in the darkness while they find the candle 
and light it. Then let us imagine that the 
father of the household does a strange thing. 
He takes a small basket and places it over 
the candle like this. (Cover candle with 
basket.) How much light would the candle 
give off if it were covered that way? Not 

187 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


very much, I imagine. We would consider 
him a strange person if he did that. Rather 
he will place the candle in a candlestick and 
set it on the table so that it can give light 
to those in the house. 

Jesus said that we, his followers, were to be 
lights in this world. We are to shine for him 
and let our influence count for the right. We 
are to stand squarely against wrong of all 
sorts and speak out when others would do evil. 
Rather than being ashamed to let our com- 
panions know that we are Christians, we are 
to become the champions of right. This may 
demand courage, but it is such courage and 
loyalty that made the heroes of old the great 
men that they were. 

Suppose we think in common language what 
Christ meant when he said we were to be as 
lights to shine for him. Here are a group of 
boys who have gone on a hike to the woods. 
They are spending the day in tracking and 
fishing and playing games. In order to carry 
out some of their plans they need some lum- 
ber. There is a pile of old boards not far 
away by a farmer’s shed. One of the boys 
who is not a Scout suggests that they go and 
get some of these boards. But James says, 
“No, a Scout is trustworthy.” He is witness- 


ing for Christ. 
188 


LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE 


A group of girls are having a party. The 
afternoon has been a most enjoyable one with 
its games and frolic. The time has come for 
refreshments and they are being served on 
the lawn. While seated there they see Jane 
Smith pass by. One of the girls dislikes Jane 
very much and begins to speak unkindly and 
say cutting things about her. Others add to 
this until Mary speaks up and says quietly, 
“Girls, a good Scout is kind.” She is speak- 
ing for Christ. 

If we are to be loyal followers of Christ, 
we will need to stand squarely against the 
wrong and for the right. This will take cour- 
age, but it is the kind of courage which made 
the heroes of old such great men. We will 
be active forces against cheating and lying 
and unkind treatment of others. We will 
not only do what we would have others do to 
us, but we will try to influence our companions 
to live the Golden Rule. We will not only 
try to live “physically strong, mentally awake, 
and morally straight,’’ but we will aim to have 
our companions live a similar life. Like the 
candle we will let our light shine until others 
see our holy lives and do likewise. 

There is still a further way in which we can 
speak for Christ. We remember that when 
one of the disciples, Andrew, had learned of 

189 


THE UNGUARDED GATE 


the Christ he went and called his brother 
Peter and brought him to him also. Philip 
likewise went and got Nathanael and led him 
to Christ. We can tell our best friends about 
our hero, Jesus, and ask them to become his 
loyal followers. They will be more apt to 
accept Jesus if we but ask them. In this 
way we will be shining for Christ. 

Our lesson to-day has shown us two kinds 
of followers: those who were ashamed to stand 
out boldly for Christ and those who let others 
know where they stood. Jesus wishes us to 
be like cities on a hill which cannot be hid. 
He wants us to be an active force for him in 
the overthrow of wrong and the upbuilding 
of right. 


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